Jammu & Kashmir: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has assigned portfolios to the cabinet ministers of Omar Abdullah's administration.

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], October 18: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has assigned portfolios to the newly inducted ministers in Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's cabinet, as per an order issued on October 17 by the J&K Lieutenant Governor Secretariat.

In accordance with Rule 4 (2) of the Transaction of Business of the Government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Rules, 2019, the order stated, "I, Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, do hereby assign to the charge of the Ministers the Government Business as shown in Annexure."

Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary has been given charge of Public Works (R&B), Industries & Commerce, Mining, Labour & Employment, and Skill Development.

Sakeena Masood (Itoo) has been allocated Health & Medical Education, School Education, Higher Education, and Social Welfare.

Javed Ahmed Rana will oversee Jal Shakti, Forest, Ecology & Environment, and Tribal Affairs, while Javid Ahmad Dar has been assigned Agriculture Production, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Cooperative, and Election.

Satish Sharma will manage Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Transport, Science & Technology, Information Technology, Youth Services & Sports, and ARI & Training.

Any departments not specifically allocated will remain under the Chief Minister's purview.

The NC-Congress alliance secured victory in the assembly elections held after a ten-year gap, with the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) winning 42 seats and Congress securing six. Omar Abdullah chaired his first cabinet meeting at the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar a day after being sworn in as Chief Minister of the Union Territory.

This election marked the first in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370. The BJP performed notably, winning 29 seats, while the People's Democratic Party claimed three seats, and the People's Conference, CPI-M, and AAP each won one. Seven seats were won by Independents. The results of the three-phase election were declared on October 8.