Council of Ministers prepares for upcoming autumn Assembly session.
Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah confirmed on Monday that a Cabinet reshuffle is “a work in progress,” though it will take place only after August 15.
Clarifying the timeline, the Chief Minister noted that making changes earlier would be unfair to ministers currently preparing their Independence Day addresses. “It is a work in progress, but not before August 15. It would be an injustice to those ministers whose names have been included in the list (for Independence Day) speeches. They are drafting their speeches. Let them finish their speeches, we will talk about it after that,” he stated. Taking a lighthearted swipe at media persistence, Abdullah added, “You don’t ask this question to the Prime Minister in Delhi. There has been talk of a reshuffle there for months, but nobody asks this question. I don’t know why you are so concerned about this,” With the legal council cap set at nine ministers and currently standing at six, sources suggest two to three new faces from the Kashmir Valley may be inducted, accompanied by a portfolio rejig ahead of the Assembly’s autumn session scheduled for late September.
