J&K Cabinet reshuffle Friday
Altaf to stage come back
Jammu, February 16
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti will carry out tomorrow the first expansion of her nine-month-old ministry with the induction of one or two PDP members.
“There is a Cabinet reshuffle. New ministers will be inducted into the government tomorrow,” a top source in the state government said.
According to the arrangement between the two allies, the PDP has a quota of 14 ministers, including the Chief Minister, while the BJP has 11 ministerial berths.
Currently, the PDP has 12 Ministers and the BJP has 11 ministers including, the Deputy Chief Minister and Sajjad Lone.
According to sources, PDP MLA from Amira Kadal constituency Altaf Bukhari is likely to stage a comeback. Bukhari, who was a minister in the Mufti Mohammed Sayeed government, was not included in the Cabinet when Mehbooba was sworn-in as the Chief Minister in April last year.
There are unconfirmed reports that Mehbooba is also likely to induct an MLA from Mohd. Ashraf Mir in the ministry.
Besides Bukhari, Javid Mustafa Mir and two Ministers of State Mohammad Ashraf Mir and Abdul Majeed Padroo, who were part of the previous government led by her father, had been dropped by her.
The BJP had dropped Sukhnandan Choudhary. The state can have a maximum of 25 ministers. — PTI