Omar Abdullah Cabinet Row: 18 NC MLAs Demand Reshuffle in Srinagar

About 18 National Conference (NC) legislators met at the Srinagar residence of MLA Qaiser Jamshed Lone on Friday, 30 October, and passed a resolution demanding an overhaul of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s council of ministers, ETV Bharat and The Week reported. The meeting came three days after four new ministers, all from Kashmir, were sworn in on 27 October. Reports differ on the numbers: ETV Bharat counted about 19 legislators at the meeting, while The Week said at least 18 attended in person and six more joined by video link.

What the MLAs Are Asking For

According to the reports, the resolution asks that ministers who have completed two years in office be dropped, that berths be filled on merit with fair representation of regions, and that two aides of the Chief Minister, Nasir Aslam Wani and Shammi Oberoi, be removed. The Week also listed removal of Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary among the demands; ETV Bharat did not. Legislators from the Kashmir Valley and from Jammu were present.

Neither report carried a response from Omar Abdullah. ETV Bharat said the resolution would be submitted to NC president Farooq Abdullah “in the coming days”. Another outlet reported a 15-day ultimatum to the leadership, but ETV Bharat and The Week both said no deadline was stated, so IPB is treating the ultimatum as unconfirmed.

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Four Ministers Sworn In on 27 October

Ali Mohammad Sagar, Shameema Firdous, Mir Saifullah and Altaf Kaloo were inducted on 27 October, and Jammu’s Satish Sharma was dropped, ETV Bharat said. The NC won 41 of the 90 seats in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and formed the government with the support of six Congress MLAs, independents and smaller parties, according to The Week.

Soon after the meeting, Farooq Abdullah removed Mubarak Gul as the party’s newly appointed general secretary. Gul, who had not accepted the post, attended the gathering, ETV Bharat reported. Separately, Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi has announced he will resign on 3 November.

Watch for the Resolution’s Delivery

The next marker is whether the resolution reaches Farooq Abdullah and how the party leadership answers it. No cabinet change has been announced, and the NC has not issued a public statement on the demands. For earlier coverage of the Chief Minister’s government, see IPB Daily Updates.

Source: Based on reporting by ETV Bharat and The Week.

Image: PTI.