Srinagar,: The ruling National Conference (NC) has once again offered the Congress a place in the Omar Abdullah-led Jammu and Kashmir cabinet, as the government prepares for a reshuffle and expansion of the council of ministers.
The fresh offer has put the Congress in a position to decide whether it wants to join the government nearly two years after choosing to remain outside the ministry.
Sources said the NC has approached the Congress with an offer of one ministerial berth.
The matter was discussed with Syed Naseer Hussain, AICC general secretary in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir and a Rajya Sabha MP.
Hussain is understood to have told the NC leadership that he would respond after consulting the Congress high command.
He also discussed the proposal with the J&K Congress leadership during his recent visit to the Union Territory along with AICC co-in-charge Divya Maderna.
The J&K Congress leadership is understood to have remained cautious about the offer.
Party leaders had earlier sought two berths in the council of ministers, along with adjustment of Congress leaders as heads of different boards and institutions.
The Congress is expected to take a final decision on the latest offer on Thursday.
The party had taken a similar position when the NC formed the government in October 2024.
At that time, the NC had offered the Congress one cabinet berth, while the Congress wanted two.
The Congress subsequently decided not to join the government and said it would wait for the restoration of J&K’s statehood.
Relations between the two alliance partners also came under strain following the Rajya Sabha elections.
The Congress had alleged that an understanding over seat-sharing was not honoured by the NC. The dispute deepened differences between the parties, with some Congress leaders even calling for a review of the alliance.
Despite these differences, the NC and Congress have continued to remain allies in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.
The NC currently has 41 MLAs, while the Congress has six, giving the two parties a combined strength of 47 in the 90-member House. The BJP has 29 MLAs and the PDP four.
The fresh offer comes ahead of the proposed reshuffle-cum-expansion of the council of ministers headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
The government currently has six ministers, including the Chief Minister, leaving room for three more members.
Under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, the Council of Ministers in the Union Territory cannot exceed 10 per cent of the total strength of the Legislative Assembly. With a 90-member Assembly, the maximum strength is therefore nine ministers, including the Chief Minister.
Sources said the expansion is likely to take place before the upcoming Assembly session, with the first week of September being discussed as the possible timeframe.
The Congress’s response to the renewed offer could determine the next phase of its relationship with the NC-led government.
Accepting the offer would bring the Congress formally into the government, while rejecting it would continue the unusual arrangement in which the two parties remain alliance partners in the Assembly but the Congress stays outside the council of ministers.
For now, the decision rests with the Congress high command, with statehood restoration, the number of ministerial berths and unresolved differences between the allies likely to remain central to the discussions.
