Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has allocated portfolios to newly sworn-in ministers of the PDP-BJP coalition government. A total of eight ministers (six from BJP’s quota and 2 from PDP) were inducted into the Council of Ministers.
While Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta, who is a BJP MLA, was sworn-in as the new Deputy Chief Minister, the party inducted its state unit chief Satpal Sharma, Rajiv Jasrotia, Sunil Kumar Sharma, Devender Kumar Maniyal and Shakti Raj Parihar into the government. The party withdrew three ministers — Nirmal Singh, Bali Bhagat and Priya Sethi. Nirmal Singh is set to be elected as the Speaker.
The PDP also inducted two new faces in the government. They are Muhammad Khalil Bandh and Muhammad Ashraf Mir, MLAs from Pulwama and Srinagar, respectively. The party dropped its senior leader Abdul Haq Khan, the Law and Rural Development Minister, from the Cabinet.
While the PDP has 28 MLAs, the BJP has 25 legislators in 87-member House. As per the Constitution, the Council of Ministers in the state can have 25 ministers including the Chief Minister.
Here’s the full list of portfolios allocated to new ministers by CM Mehbooba Mufti:
Kavinder Gupta, MLA Gandhi Nagar (BJP), Cabinet rank: Deputy Chief Minister and Industries and Commerce and Transport
Sat Paul Sharma, MLA Jammu West (BJP): Housing and Urban Development
Sunil Sharma, MLA Doda (BJP), Cabinet rank: Power Department
Rajiv Jasrotia, MLA Kathua (BJP): Forest, Ecology and Environment
Devender Kumar Maniyal, MLA Samba (BJP): Health and Medical Education
Shakti Raj, MLA Doda (BJP): Education, Tourism, Tribal Affairs, Technical Education, Roads and Buildings, Rural Development, Information, Youth Services and Sports, Revenue and Culture.
Mohammad Khalil Band, MLA Pulwama (PDP), Cabinet rank: Agriculture Production and Mohammad Ashraf Mir Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs.
Mohammad Ashraf Mir, MLA Sonawar (PDP), Cabinet rank: Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs
Monday’s reshuffle was necessitated after BJP had sought the resignation of all its ministers except Nirmal Singh, though forwarded only two to the CM. They were of Lal Singh and Chander Prakash Ganga. The duo had invited trouble for the party after they protested in solidarity with the arrested accused in the Kathua rape and murder case involving a minor girl.
Cabinet rank:
Abdul Rehman Veeri: Rural Development and Panchayati Raj
Ghulam Nabi Lone: Revenue
Syed Basharat Ahmad Bukhari: Horticulture, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs
Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali: School Education, Haj and Auqaf and Tribal Affairs
Naeem Akhtar: Public Works and Culture
Imran Raza Ansari: Information Technology, Technical Education ad Higher Education
Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari: Finance, Labour and Employment and Floriculture
Javaid Mustafa Mir: Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation & Reconstruction
Minister of State
Zahoor Ahmad Mir: Forest, Ecology and Environment, Animal/Sheep Husbandry, Cooperative, Fisheries, PHE/I&FC and Transport
Ajay Nanda: Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Finance, Planning, Law & Justice, Relief & Rehabilitation, Labour & Employment, Agriculture, Floriculture and Horticulture
Shakti Raj: Education, Tourism, Tribal Affairs, Technical Education, R&B, Rural Development, Information, Youth Services & Sports, Revenue and Culture