Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti was present during the swearing-in of Syed Altaf Bukhari. (File photo)
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday expanded her nine-month-old ministry for the first time with the induction of senior People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader Syed Altaf Bukhari, who was dropped when she formed the government after the death of her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
Mr Bukhari is the legislator from Amira Kadal constituency in Srinagar. He took the oath at a function in Raj Bhawan, Jammu, in the presence of Governor N.N. Vohra.
Ms Mufti and her ministerial colleagues were present during the swearing-in ceremony.
Mr Bukhari was the Roads and Buildings Minister in the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-led PDP-BJP coalition in 2015.
With his re-induction into the cabinet, the total strength of the council has gone up to 24.
Under the state constitution, Jammu and Kashmir can have a 25-member strong council of ministers. Mr Bukhari's portfolio is expected to be announced later on Friday.
According to the conditions of the alliance between PDP and BJP, Ms Mufti's party has a quota of 14 ministers, including the Chief Minister, while the BJP party has 11 ministerial berths.
Javid Mustafa Mir and two ministers of state, Mohammad Ashraf Mir and Abdul Majeed Padroo, who were part of the previous government led by her father, had been dropped by the Chief Minister.
(With inputs from PTI and IANS)