Kashmir Impulse Desk
Srinagar, Oct 22
The government is likely to expand its Council of Ministers on October 25, sources said, after months of speculation over a reshuffle in the National Conference (NC)-led administration.
The expansion is expected to take place in Srinagar following the return of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to the union territory, the sources said.
NC President Farooq Abdullah said on October 19 that the expansion would take place after Sinha returned to Jammu and Kashmir.
“The LG was not well. He is out of J&K. Cabinet expansion will take place when he comes back,” Abdullah said.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his father, the party president, Farooq Abdullah, have both made statements in recent months suggesting that an expansion was imminent.
Several NC legislators are being discussed as possible candidates for ministerial positions. The names include veteran lawmakers and legislators elected for a second or third term.
The former speaker of the J&K Legislative Assembly is also among those being considered, according to speculation within political circles.
The government has not formally announced a date for the expansion.
