Srinagar, Aug 26: The ruling National Conference (NC) has made a fresh approach to the Congress to join the Omar Abdullah-led Jammu and Kashmir government, with the move coming ahead of a proposed reshuffle and expansion of the Council of Ministers.
Party insiders said the NC has conveyed to the Congress that it is willing to accommodate the party in the ministerial team if it reconsiders its earlier decision to remain outside the government.
The development comes as Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is preparing to reshuffle and expand his Council of Ministers. The Congress, which is in alliance with the NC, has so far supported the government from outside rather than joining the cabinet.
Party insiders said the latest proposal was discussed with AICC general secretary in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir and Rajya Sabha MP Syed Naseer Hussain. He is understood to have conveyed that he would respond after consulting the Congress high command.
The matter was subsequently discussed with the J&K Congress leadership during Hussain’s recent visit to the Union Territory, although the party is yet to take a final decision on joining the government, insiders said.
The fresh outreach revives an issue that had remained unresolved since the formation of the NC-led government in October 2024. At that time, the NC had offered the Congress one berth in the Council of Ministers, while the Congress had sought two positions. The Congress subsequently decided to stay out of the ministry and support the government from outside.
Party insiders said the Congress had also maintained that it would not join the Council of Ministers until Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood was restored. The fresh offer, therefore, could require the Congress leadership to reassess its earlier position, particularly as the government prepares for a cabinet rejig.
The proposed expansion is also significant because of the constitutional ceiling on the size of the Council of Ministers in the Union Territory. Under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, the total strength of the Council of Ministers cannot exceed 10 per cent of the total strength of the Legislative Assembly. With a 90-member elected Assembly, the ceiling works out to nine ministers, including the Chief Minister.
The Omar Abdullah government currently has six members in the Council of Ministers, leaving room for further inductions within the statutory limit. The possible entry of the Congress could consequently alter the composition of the ministerial team and the distribution of portfolios.
For the NC, bringing the Congress into the government would formalise the alliance arrangement that has continued since the 2024 Assembly elections. For the Congress, however, the decision carries political implications given its earlier insistence on statehood as a precondition for joining the cabinet, even as party insiders said the Congress is expected to take a formal decision on the proposal shortly.
