PDP MLA Syed Altaf Bukhari, who was a minister in the previous Mufti Sayeed-led government, was today inducted by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in her Council of Ministers as she carried out her first Cabinet expansion.
Governor N N Vohra administered oath of office and secrecy to Bukhari at a brief function at Raj Bhawan here.
With Bukhari’s induction, the strength of PDP-BJP ministry has gone up to 24. The state, which has 70-member Assembly, can have a maximum of 25 ministers.
Bukhari, an MLA from Amira Kadal constituency in Srinagar district, was a minister in the Mufti Sayeed government. However, he was not included in the Cabinet when Sayeed’s daughter Mehbooba became the Chief Minister in April last year, three months after the demise of her father.
After this induction, PDP has 13 ministers, including the Chief Minister, while BJP has 11, including Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh and associate member Sajjad Lone.