7 months ago
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With the Assembly and Rajya Sabha bypolls circular the corner, the ruling National Conference (NC) connected Wednesday (October 22, 2025) saw itself grappling with an upset conjugation spouse successful Congress and a piqued Member of Parliament successful Aga Ruhullah Mehdi erstwhile helium decided to enactment distant from the canvass campaign.
The NC held a gathering of enactment legislators and conjugation partners successful Srinagar to discuss the strategy for the upcoming bypolls of Rajya Sabha and 2 Assembly seats, too the J&K Assembly league scheduled for October 23. However, the Congress decided not to be the gathering chaired by NC president Farooq Abdullah and vice-president and J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to chalk retired a associated strategy.
J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) main Tariq Hamid Karra held a separate meeting of enactment leaders and the party’s six legislators successful Srinagar. The Congress evaluated its narration with the ruling NC.
“We person a consciousness of wounded arsenic a conjugation partner, which has to beryllium a narration of trust. We were negotiating a Rajya Sabha spot (with the NC) and were pushed to the 4th seat. We were offered the Nagrota Assembly spot instead, wherever the NC came fig 2 successful the 2024 Assembly elections. The determination connected Rajya Sabha elections is not similar taking a near oregon close turn. A treatment volition beryllium held implicit it,” G.A. Mir, elder Congress person and MLA, said.
In spite of the pre-poll confederation successful 2024, the Congress decided against taking up immoderate ministerial berth successful J&K “till the Statehood is restored”. The NC’s determination to connection a not-so-safe 4th spot to the Congress has deepened the situation betwixt the conjugation partners. J&K has 4 Rajya Sabha seats and the bypolls are scheduled for October 24. The NC has decided to contention successful each 4 seats.
Mr. Mir asked spouse NC to “introspect”. “It should guarantee that the tone of confederation is preserved done transparency and communal respect, particularly astatine a clip erstwhile secular and antiauthoritarian values request to beryllium strengthened successful J&K,” helium said.
Meanwhile, the Congress enactment of J&K has prepared a feedback study for the enactment precocious bid successful Delhi, “to instrumentality a telephone connected the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections” and “the conjugation with the NC”.
Mr. Omar Abdullah, connected the different hand, sought the enactment of Congress and Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) successful the Rajya Sabha polls. “I anticipation Congress and PDP would enactment the NC successful the upcoming RS elections, helping to support the BJP out,” helium said.
Trouble with Ruhullah
Besides the irked Congress, the NC is besides struggling to guarantee that MP Ruhullah, an influential Shia cleric, “does not go a canvass factor”. Mr. Ruhullah had publicly decided to enactment distant from the enactment run implicit “the party’s nonaccomplishment to fulfil the promises made to radical successful the manifesto past year”.
NC’s campaigner Aga Syed Mahmood, who is contesting from the Budgam seat, utilized a reconciliatory code towards MP Ruhullah connected Wednesday (October 22). “Mr. Ruhullah belongs to a known dynasty. He has an undeniable stature. He has won thrice from Budgam since 2002. However, helium became an MLA due to the fact that of the party,” Mr. Mahmood, besides a Shia cleric, said.
He termed his narration with MP Ruhullah “like that of a son”. “He is my relative. However, Mr. Ruhullah volition decide whether to articulation the run oregon not. I spot my enactment successful a bully presumption electorally,” Mr. Mahmood added.
In a caller cryptic connection made connected societal media platforms, Mr. Ruhullah said, “I was not shaped by immoderate agency. I was shaped by the radical of Jammu & Kashmir. They taught maine what nary governmental instauration could: courage, patience, and conviction. I volition ever basal with them, for they person been and volition ever stay my archetypal and foremost priority.”
The Budgam spot volition spell to the polls connected November 11. NC campaigner Omar Abdullah won the spot successful the 2024 assembly elections and decided to springiness it up to clasp the Ganderbal seat.
