Omar Abdullah Expands Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet to Nine Members
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah inducted four new ministers into his cabinet on October 27, while the Congress party declined to join the government.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath of office to four new ministers in Jammu and Kashmir on October 27, 2026, at Lok Bhavan in Srinagar. Omar Abdullah, the Chief Minister, expanded his Council of Ministers to a total of nine members, the maximum permitted under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019, which limits the council to 10 percent of the 90-member Legislative Assembly.
The newly inducted ministers from the National Conference are Ali Mohammad Sagar, Mir Saifullah, Shameema Firdous, and Altaf Ahmad Wani. This restructuring occurred after all five incumbent ministers resigned to provide the Chief Minister and National Conference President Farooq Abdullah flexibility in the cabinet's composition. Following the ceremony, Abdullah visited the new ministers at the Civil Secretariat to express confidence in their ability to advance the region's developmental agenda.
While the National Conference expanded its representation to include leaders from Srinagar, north Kashmir, and south Kashmir, the Indian National Congress declined to join the council. The Congress party cited the current Union Territory status of the region and stated it will provide support to the government from the outside until full statehood is restored.
