Srinagar, Oct. 28 -- Four new ministers were sworn in on Tuesday as Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah expanded his council of ministers to its maximum permissible strength of nine. Lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath of office to Ali Mohammad Sagar, Mir Saifullah, Shameema Firdous, and Altaf Ahmad Wani (Kalloo) at Lok Bhawan in Srinagar. All four new inductees represent constituencies in the Kashmir Valley. Sagar took his oath in Urdu, while Saifullah, Firdous and Wani did so in English. Prior to the ceremony, all sitting ministers had submitted their resignations to the chief minister as part of the reshuffle. Sports and technical education minister Satish Sharma was the only minister dropped. Instead of including a legislator from Jammu, the NC decided to induct a legislator from Kashmir. After Sharma's resignation, Jammu will now have only two ministers representing it in the cabinet: Deputy chief minister Surinder Choudhary and minister Javeed Rana. With Firdous's induction, the council of ministers now has two women members, joining Sakina Itoo. The expansion brings the cabinet to nine ministers along with the chief minister. Under Union Territory regulation, the council of ministers is capped at 10% of the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir assembly. The Congress, which won six seats in alliance with the 42-seat NC, declined to join the government. Party leadership reiterated its stand that Congress will not accept cabinet berths until statehood is fully restored to Jammu and Kashmir. Besides Omar Abdullah, the ceremony was attended by deputy chief minister Surinder Choudhary, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather, Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, NC president Farooq Abdullah, and MLAs from both ruling and opposition parties, including the BJP and the PDP. The expansion brought a mix of celebration and disappointment, leaving several senior legislators sidelined even as party president Farooq Abdullah hailed it as a "good change." Welcoming the move at the party headquarters, Nawa-i-Subah, Farooq Abdullah said, "A very good cabinet change has taken place. They [ministers] will work and try to ease the difficulties and problems of the people." Newly sworn-in minister Ali Mohammad Sagar is from Khanyar, Srinagar, Saifullah Mir is from Trehgam, Kupwara, Altaf Wani hails from Pahalgam, Anantnag, and Shameema Firdous is from Habbakadal, Srinagar. However, former minister and Speaker Mubarak Gul, one of the party's most senior legislators, expressed disappointment over his omission. "I have been dropped earlier, and today again my name isn't on the list. This is the 30th oath ceremony I am attending," he told reporters. Gul's supporters later raised slogans outside the party office to protest the decision. To appease him, the National Conference (NC) appointed Gul as party general secretary-a key position previously held by Sagar. Discontent was also evident in Anantnag East, where three-time legislator Abdul Majeed Larmi was seen in tears after being overlooked in favour of junior legislator Altaf Wani. "Being senior and honest, I was confident I would be selected. It is unfortunate that a much junior legislator was preferred," Larmi said, adding that he ultimately accepts the outcome as "the will of God." Wani dismissed reports of any tension, saying everyone, including Larmi, was pleased with his induction. This expansion-the first in two years-reflects chief minister Omar Abdullah's effort to balance veteran experience with younger leadership. The inclusion of Sagar and Saifullah Mir maintains senior representation, while Shameema Firdous's induction strengthens the party's base in Srinagar and increases women's representation in the cabinet. However, the reshuffle reduces Jammu's representation. Following the removal of Satish Sharma, no new minister from the Jammu region was appointed, with the NC opting to fill the vacancy with a Kashmiri legislator. NC leaders explained that Sharma was dropped because he remained an independent candidate-having won his Jammu seat independently in the last election-and Farooq Abdullah mandated that cabinet berths be reserved strictly for party members. Commenting on the developments, leader of opposition and senior BJP leader Sunil Sharma described the cabinet expansion as an internal NC matter, adding, "You should wait and watch with peace what happens." He also accused the Omar Abdullah-led government of creating a regional divide....