Ali Mohammad Sagar, Mir Saifullah, Shameema Firdous and Altaf Kalo Among New Inductees

Srinagar, Oct 27: The swearing-in ceremony for the reshuffle of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s cabinet began at Lok Bhavan Auditorium in Srinagar on Tuesday.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his team arrived at Lok Bhavan earlier in the morning, while guests also started gathering at the venue. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha is administering the oath of office and secrecy to the newly inducted ministers.

Ahead of the reshuffle, all five ministers in the previous cabinet had submitted their resignations, allowing Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah to restructure the council of ministers.

Senior National Conference leaders Ali Mohammad Sagar, Mir Saifullah, Shameema Firdous and Altaf Kalo are among those being inducted into the cabinet. Some existing ministers are also expected to be dropped or assigned different portfolios as part of the restructuring.

Meanwhile, the Congress has decided against joining the government during the cabinet expansion, citing Jammu and Kashmir’s Union Territory status. However, the party will continue to extend outside support to the government until statehood is restored.

Further details are awaited.