Maintaining that there is no delay in the cabinet expansion to fill the vacant ministerial berths in Jammu and Kashmir, Congress state chief Saifuddin Soz today said that the process is expected to take place after polls to Legislative Council on April 13.
“The expansion is expected to take place any time after the elections of Legislative Council on April 13,” Mr. Soz told reporters at a function here.
We have two ministerial seats and one for National Conference, the State Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president said.
Mr. Soz said that government will be seeking approval of the J&K Election Authority for the reshuffle. He, however, said that there is no delay in the reshuffle and Congress is always ready for it.
Ruling out any differences with its coalition partner over seat sharing in the Legislative Council polls, he said.
“The coalition has no differences. We have total unanimity and have arrived at consensus to contest five seats in elections to Legislative Council.”
Rejecting media report of differences between NC and Congress, Mr. Soz said his party has withdrawn its candidates from the two seats from Kashmir.
He expressed confidence that the coalition will take “five out of six seats, while one seat is likely to go to PDP.”
While the NC will contest in three seats, Congress will contest in two, he said, adding that, “we have given one more seat to the NC with full consensus and unanimity between the coalition partners.”
