National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Monday said the expansion of the Jammu and Kashmir Council of Ministers would take place once Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha returns.
"The Lieutenant Governor was not well. He was sick. When the Lieutenant Governor comes, there will be an expansion of the government," Abdullah told reporters in Budgam district.
The remarks came amid speculation over a long-awaited expansion of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's Council of Ministers, with the National Conference-led government completing two years in office on October 16.
The government, which took office in October 2024, is yet to undertake a cabinet reshuffle, and the proposed expansion has remained a subject of political discussion.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary recently dismissed speculation about resignations within the government, asserting that no minister had stepped down.
"No minister has tendered a resignation," Choudhary had told reporters in Jammu.
The Congress, the National Conference's electoral ally, has also been at the centre of discussions surrounding the expansion. Although the NC had offered the Congress a cabinet berth, the party declined to join the government, choosing instead to extend support from outside until full statehood is restored to Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier, on October 7, Omar Abdullah had said that a decision on expanding his Council of Ministers would likely be taken shortly after consultations with his father and NC president, Farooq Abdullah.