Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 24: In first reshuffle in Mufti Mohammad Sayeed headed 55 days old PDP-BJP coalition Government, two Ministers of State of BJP were elevated to the Cabinet rank in a simple and brief ceremony at Raj Bhawan this afternoon but there was no announcement from the Government about any change of portfolios amid indications that the two promoted Ministers might retain the portfolios they were holding with Independent Charge as Ministers of State.
BJP MLC and Minister of State with Independent Charge of Cooperatives Chering Dorjey and BJP MLA from Kalakote Abdul Ghani Kohli, the Minister of State with Independent Charge of Transport, were administered oath of office and secrecy as the Cabinet Ministers by Governor NN Vohra at Raj Bhawan this afternoon in brief 10 minutes ceremony, which among others was attended by Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh.
Dorjey took the oath first followed by Kohli, both in English.
Dorjey and Kohli had been inducted into the Council of Ministers as Ministers of State on March 1 but allocated Independent Charge of Cooperatives and Transport respectively. They were also holding the charge of Rural Development and Horticulture and Ladakh Affairs respectively as Ministers of State.
The PDP-BJP alliance Government has already exhausted maximum limit of 25 Ministers. As per the J&K Constitution, the State has upper limit of Ministers equal to 20 per cent of total strength of two Houses of Legislature. The Parliament and other State Assemblies, however, can have only 15 per cent of total strength of the Assembly as their Ministers.
After being sworn-in as Cabinet Minister, Dorjey said he would work for interest of entire State but also keep in mind the issues of Ladakh region, which he would now represent in the Cabinet. Earlier, Ladakh region with four Assembly seats had no representation in the Cabinet as Dorjey was the lone MoS from Ladakh region. However, few days back, PDP had nominated its leader from Kargil Haji Inayat Ali as Chairman of the Legislative Council.
Dorjey had lost last year’s Assembly election from Leh on BJP mandate to Congress Legislature Party leader Nawang Rigzin Jora. Dorjey was later elected as MLC from seat reserved for Leh. In addition to Independent Charge of Cooperatives, Dorjey was holding charge of Ladakh Affairs as MoS.
Kohli is lone Muslim MLA in the BJP, who had won Kalakote seat and was initially inducted as MoS with Independent Charge of Transport and charge of Rural Development and Horticulture as MoS.
Though there was no official announcement of allocation of portfolios among the two elevated Ministers, there were reports that they could retain the portfolios of Cooperatives and Transport, which they were holding as MoS with Independent Charge and the departments of Rural Development, Horticulture and Ladakh Affairs, held by them as MoS, could go to other MoS in the BJP.
With today’s elevations, the number of PDP and BJP Ministers remained same at 14 and 11 respectively including the Chief Minister but number of BJP’s Cabinet Ministers has gone up to eight as against PDP’s 11. The BJP’s Cabinet Ministers included Sajjad Lone of People’s Conference, a pre-poll ally of the party. The PDP and BJP have now three Ministers of State each.
Earlier, PDP had 11 Cabinet Ministers and BJP six. However, BJP had five Ministers of State and PDP three.
Dorjey said he would try to address issues of Ladakh region on priority basis including long pending demand of the region for construction of Zojila tunnel and air service to Kargil. Various other demands of Leh would also be taken up in the Cabinet and the Centre, he added.
Kohli said he would work to improve transport services in the State.
BJP’s Ministers of State—Sunil Sharma, Pawan Gupta and Priya Sethi could share three portfolios of Rural Development, Horticulture and Ladakh Affairs, which have been given up by two Ministers of State after their elevation to the Cabinet rank.
Prominent among those present at the Raj Bhawan during oath ceremony included Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh, Legislative Council Chairman Inayat Ali, Deputy Chairman Jehangir Hussain Mir, Deputy Speaker Nazir Gurezi, several Ministers of PDP and BJP, legislators, Congress leader Ghulam Mohammad Saroori, Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khandey, Chief Vigilance Commissioner Kuldeep Khoda, Chief Information Commissioner GN Sofi, senior civil and police officers and prominent citizens.
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