Jammu and Kashmir cabinet reshuffle updates: Kavinder Gupta replaces Nirmal Singh as deputy CM

Ministers take oath in Jammu’s Convention Centre amid tight security

Governor NN Vohra administered the oath of office and secrecy to eight ministers, some of who took the oath in English and others in Hindi at the Convention Centre in Jammu amid tight security arrangements.

The chief minister will allocate the portfolios later in the day for which the orders will be issued by the general administration department. The BJP will distribute the portfolios to the new faces. These will include portfolios held earlier by ministers including Lal Singh, Nirmal Singh, Chander Prakash Ganga, Bali Bhagat and Priya Sethi.

Rajeev Jasrotia and Mohammad Khalil Bandh take oath as ministers

Jammu: BJP Kathua MLA Rajeev Jasrotia(left pic) and PDP Pulwama MLA Mohammad Khalil Bandh(right pic) take oath as ministers in Jammu and Kashmir Government. #cabinetreshuffle pic.twitter.com/J114PPhqK9

— ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2018

Kavinder Gupta takes oath as deputy chief minister

Jammu: Gandhinagar MLA Kavinder Gupta takes oath as minister in Jammu and Kashmir Government. He replaces Dr.Nirmal Singh as Deputy Chief Minister of the State pic.twitter.com/8eHsu2by9h

— ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2018

Two new PDP members take oath on Monday

The government is inducting Pulwama PDP MLA Muhammad Khalil Bhand and Sonawar MLA Muhammad Ashraf Mir on Monday.

Khalil had been attacked and injured by a stone-pelting mob in his native district in July 2016. While MLA Ashraf Mir was captured on air firing shots from an AK-47 rifle after defeating former chief minister Omar Abdullah by 4,000 votes from the Sonawar assembly in 2014.

MLA from Kathua Rajiv Jasrotiya among the ministers inducted

MLA Rajiv Jasrotiya was in the news recently for having gone missing after the Kathua rape and murder case came to the limelight.

Seven new faces to be inducted into the J&K govt

Among those who will be administered oath include Kavinder Gupta, Sat Pal Sharma, Rajiv Jasrotia, Devinder Manyal and Shakti Raj of the BJP, and Mohammad Khalil Bandh and Ashraf Mir from the PDP.

Visuals from the swearing-in ceremony in Jammu’s Raj Bhawan

#BREAKING -- New J&K Deputy Chief Minister sworn in #JKCabinetRejig pic.twitter.com/Gax3ZvpQrm

— News18 (@CNNnews18) April 30, 2018

Cabinet reshuffle “very normal thing” in a democratic setup, says Union minister Jitendra Singh

Cabinet reshuffle takes place depending on circumstances of the past & present & also taking cognizance of the challenges that lie ahead in the future. This is a very normal thing in any democratic setup: Union Minister Jitendra Singh on the cabinet reshuffle in #JammuAndKashmir pic.twitter.com/O7zE9RXwgz

— ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2018

Swearing-in ceremony begins

Nirmal Singh to become next Assembly speaker

“Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta will be the new deputy chief minister. Nirmal Singh will be named the new Speaker of the state Legislative Assembly. The other legislators who will be inducted into the cabinet today are Sat Sharma, Rajiv Jasrotia, Devender Maniyal and Shakti Parihar. Parihar will be sworn in as a junior minister while the other four will be of cabinet minister rank.  Among the existing ministers, Sunil Sharma will be elevated to cabinet rank,” sources told IANS.

National General Secretary of the BJP Ram Madhav says reshuffle has nothing to do with Kathua rape and murder case

#JKCabinetRejig -- The reshuffle has nothing to with #KathuaHorror. Since we have completed 3 years, we have given new people the opportunity to serve as ministers: BJP Leader @rammadhavbjp pic.twitter.com/PubaimP1To

— News18 (@CNNnews18) April 30, 2018

Governor NN Vohra accepts resignations of 5 ministers from their current posts. Here is the official statement:

Governor NN Vohra accepts resignations of 5 ministers from their current posts. Here is the official statement:

Kavinder Gupta had defeated senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla to win from Gandhi Nagar

Fifty-five-year-old Gupta won from the Gandhi Nagar constituency in the 2014 Assembly polls after defeating senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla. According to documents submitted to the Election Commission, Gupta has total assets of over Rs 2.4 crore, and liabilities of around Rs 12 lakh, and has no criminal cases registered against him.

Kavinder Gupta had taken charge as J&K Assembly Speaker in 2015

Gupta, who represents Jammu’s Gandhi Nagar, serves as the current Speaker of the state’s 89-member legislative Assembly. Gupta was elected as the Speaker over two years ago in March 2015 after senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar proposed Gupta’s name for the post.

The official bulletin released by the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly confirming the resignation of Speaker Kavinder Gupta

Cabinet reshuffle due since Kathua rape case

The reshuffle was due ever since two BJP ministers Choudhary Lal Singh and Chander Prakash Ganga were asked to resign due to a controversy over their participation in a Hindu Ekta Manch rally in support of the accused in the Kathua rape and murder case.

BJP state president Sat Sharma to be inducted today

The BJP has also brought in Sat Sharma as a minister, as the party is looking at changing the organisational structure and elect a new president in place of Sharma. Sharma’s tenure ends in December.

Kavinder Gupta’s entry to keep Mehbooba Mufti on check

Gupta will replace Nirmal Singh as the deputy chief minister, and is considered to be RSS’ choice in the cabinet. His entry into the Council of Ministers will keep Mehbooba Mufti on check. As a Speaker, he had faced criticism for his pro-Right wing statements and he courted a controversy for blaming Rohingya Muslims for an attack on army headquarters in Jammu’s Sunjwan in February

Kavinder Gupta to take oath as the new deputy CM today

Party gave me responsibility to bring in change after 3 yrs. I'll try my best to meet expectations of people&work for Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh. We had entered into alliance, following people's mandate. I hope it keeps working for them: Kavinder Gupta, Dy CM elect #JammuAndKashmir pic.twitter.com/lfdglXVoY4

— ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2018

Governor NN Vohra to administer aath of office

Governor NN Vohra will administer the oath of office and secrecy to multiple new ministers in Jammu on Monday. The BJP is learnt to have communicated a list of ministers to Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti who has forwarded it to Raj Bhawan.

Nirmal Singh steps down

Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh tendered his resignation on Sunday, paving the way for Kavinder Gupta to be sworn in as Singh’s replacement.

It was the decision of the party to change roles. Keeping in line with that decision I stepped down. The govt has worked well for three years. I am sure they will perform very well: Nirmal Singh, Former Deputy CM #JammuAndKashmir on state cabinet reshuffle pic.twitter.com/yTjgdSKmCj

— ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2018

Top ministers to be left out of new cabinet

Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, Health Minister Bali Bhagat and junior minister Priya Sethi will not be included in the new council, reports said.

BJP state president Sat Sharma likely to be made minister

The names doing the rounds for ministerial berths include BJP state unit president Sat Sharma, Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta , Sukhnandan Choudhary, Shakti Parihar, Rajesh Jasrota, and Ravinder Raina

Swearing-in ceremony to begin at noon

The swearing-in of new ministers in Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s Cabinet by the governor is scheduled to held at noon at the Convention Centre instead of Raj Bhavan, as all government offices in Jammu shut down on Saturday ahead of a six-month sojourn in summer capital Srinagar

Governor sent out official invites for swearing-in on Sunday

The much-awaited reshuffle of the Jammu and Kashmir coalition ministry will be done on Monday, with Governor NN Vohra on Sunday extending a formal invitation for the event.