Srinagar, Oct 30 (KNS): Three days after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's cabinet expansion left several senior National Conference legislators out of the ministry, 17 party MLAs assembled at the residence of Lolab legislator Qaiser Jamsheed Lone on Friday, a gathering whose timing and composition have attracted political attention despite an assertion by senior leader Nazir Ahmad Gurezi that it was nothing more than a friendly lunch.

The meeting brought under one roof several legislators whose names had figured in the run-up to the October 27 expansion, including Gurezi, former Assembly Speaker Mubarak Gul and Anantnag West MLA Abdul Majid Larmi, against the backdrop of disappointment over ministerial exclusions and questions about regional representation.

Speaking exclusively to Kashmir News Service (KNS), Gurezi sought to dispel speculation surrounding the gathering, saying the legislators had been invited by Qaiser Jamsheed Lone for lunch and that no political significance should be attached to the occasion.

Gurezi's clarification came amid heightened attention to developments within the ruling party following the reshuffle, which filled the remaining ministerial berths and left little room for accommodating other aspirants without another change in the cabinet's composition.

Highly placed sources told Kashmir News Service (KNS) that the legislators present included Hasnain Masoodi (Pampore), Ghulam Mohiuddin Mir (Rajpora), Javid Ahmad (Karnah), Saif-ud-Din Bhat (Khansahib), Farooq Ahmad Shah (Tangmarg), Mubarak Gul (Eidgah), Nazir Ahmad Khan (Gurez), Hilal Akbar Lone (Sonawari), Bashir Ahmad Veeri (Bijbehara), Abdul Majid Bhat alias Larmi (Anantnag West), Aijaz Ahmad Jan (Poonch Haveli), Javid Iqbal Choudhary (Budhal), Arjun Singh Raju (Ramban), Khursheed Ahmad (Gulabgarh), Dr Sajad Shafi (Uri), Mushtaq Ahmad Guroo (Chanapora) and Muzaffar Iqbal Khan (Thanamandi).

Ahead of the expansion, Omar Abdullah had announced that the list of ministers was ready and urged party colleagues against lobbying for cabinet positions, making it clear that the leadership had already taken a decision on the proposed inductions.

The political suspense ended on October 27 when Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath to four National Conference legislators, Ali Mohammad Sagar, Mir Saifullah, Shamima Firdous and Altaf Ahmad Kaloo at SKICC in Srinagar.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel

The reshuffle also saw Independent legislator Satish Sharma lose his ministerial position, while the continuing ministers were retained. The expansion took the Council of Ministers to its statutory ceiling, effectively closing the door on further inductions unless an existing minister makes way.

Yet the conclusion of the swearing-in ceremony did not entirely settle the political questions surrounding the exercise.

Gurezi, a senior National Conference legislator from north Kashmir who had been widely discussed as a possible ministerial entrant, did not attend the oath-taking ceremony, drawing attention to his absence at a time when expectations of his induction had been particularly high.

Hours after the ceremony, newly inducted ministers Mir Saifullah and Altaf Ahmad Kaloo visited Gurezi at his Tulsi Bagh residence in Srinagar, accompanied by party legislators, including Qaiser Jamsheed Lone and Hilal Akbar Lone.

That meeting became a subject of political discussion, although party leaders sought to play down suggestions of any internal confrontation.

Another notable presence was Mubarak Gul, whose exclusion from the ministry had also generated discussion within the party.

Gul, a former Assembly Speaker and senior National Conference figure, had been among the names circulating ahead of the expansion. Following his exclusion, NC president Farooq Abdullah appointed him the party's general secretary, the organisational position previously held by Ali Mohammad Sagar.

Abdul Majid Larmi, who had also expressed disappointment over not being considered for ministerial office, was among those attending Friday's meeting.

The presence of legislators from Rajouri and Poonch added another layer to the gathering, given the questions raised over the absence of ministerial representation from the twin border districts.

Thanamandi MLA Muzaffar Iqbal Khan had previously voiced concern over the region's exclusion from the expanded ministry. He was joined at Friday's gathering by Poonch Haveli MLA Aijaz Ahmad Jan and Budhal MLA Javid Iqbal Choudhary.(KNS)