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| Wait is over; cabinet expansion today | | Reassignment of portfolios with new inductions | | Srinagar, Aug 28: The much awaited expansion of the state cabinet, on which number of ruling party MLAs were eyeing on for long, is going to be announced Tuesday, with the induction of some new faces and reassigning of the portfolios to some former ministers.
Sources in the power corridors disclosed that decks have been cleared for the much awaited expansion with induction of about twelve ministers and raising the existing strength to match the 20 percent of total elected members provided under the new Act. Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad would make the announcement tomorrow morning at Raj Bhawan, sources added.
The list has been finalized with UPA Chairperson Sonia Ghandi in presence of PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayed and would be made public tomorrow, sources within in the ruling alliance revealed.
As per sources many ministers dropped at the time of change of guard are lined up for re-entry with some new faces. They said that special care has been taken to accommodate people from all the coalition partners including independents and the PDP splinter group led by Ghulam Hassan Mir while finalizing the list. In the process reshuffle of portfolios would also be affected by taking away assignments from the ministers who are holding more than one department, sources added.
While some new faces are being introduced in the Council of Ministry, many old faces including Harsh Dev Singh, Manjeet Singh, Ajaz Khan, Usman Majid and Jugal Kishore dropped at the time of change of guard are lined up for re-entry. Among the new faces, names of Dilawar Mir, Mohd Hussian Peer, Khalil Band from PDP while Abdul Gani Vakil, Khem Lata Wakhloo, Ashok Sharma, Prem Sagar Aziz, Raman Balla from Congress besides Balwant Singh Monkotia and representing panthers party from Udhampur are expected to roped in.
About the sharing of portfolios sources said that important portfolios held by incumbent Ministers would be given to the candidates being roped in tomorrow. Dilawer Mir is likely to get tourism presently held by Deputy chief Minister while Tariq Hamid Kara holding the forest and Urban development has to wash his has from one of the department. The health department is likely to be retained by chief Minister.
About seat sharing, sources said that the PDP which has exhausted its quota of cabinet births would only get four seats, including MoS. However, Mir who claims to represent a faction within the party could get a cabinet birth for himself or for any of his supporting MLAs. On the other hand Congress and Independents would claim major share of the cabinet births sources added.
Sources say that the thought for expansion has come given the fact that Chief Minister who holds about more than four portfolios including important ministries like Health and Medical Education, Revenue, Education besides Home department wants to lower his burden of work.
Meanwhile, estates department has also started making arrangements for providing offices for the new ministers in civil secretariat. For this twelve rooms have been vacated with a view to accommodate their offices in the secretariat.
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