Farooq Abdullah returns to steer National Conference after party standoff ends
The 89-year-old patriarch has re-entered a leadership role following a dispute between 17 ruling party MLAs and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
National Conference (NC) patriarch Farooq Abdullah has returned to a leading role in the party to steer its direction and government functions, according to The Hindu. The move follows a stalemate between 17 MLAs of the ruling party and the Abdullah family that began on October 27 after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah conducted a Cabinet reshuffle.
The dispute involved disgruntled legislators who held a meeting in the absence of the Abdullahs and submitted a charter of demands. Their demands included the removal of Adviser Nasir Aslam Wani and the reassignment of the Roads and Buildings portfolio currently held by Deputy CM Surinder Choudhary. The charter also called for a consultative advisory group of legislators and a high-powered disciplinary committee.
The standoff appeared to end after a two-hour meeting on November 6 between the dissenting legislators and party leadership. Farooq Abdullah took the lead role during this meeting, which took place ahead of Friday prayers. Following the meeting, Farooq Abdullah told mediapersons in Srinagar that the struggle for Statehood, Article 370, and Article 35A will continue.
Newly inducted Minister Mir Saifullah said at a rally in Kupwara on Monday that the struggle for the return of the previous status has begun. He stated that the NC was responsible for securing pre-1953 status, Article 370, and a separate flag for Jammu and Kashmir.
The internal friction follows criticism regarding the centralisation of decisions by the Chief Minister. Previously, the old guard of the party had remained out of the Cabinet and the government since Omar Abdullah took power in 2024.