📷 Image: Times of India (via NewsData)
Politics
NC leader Farooq Abdullah to quit amid J&K cabinet reshuffle angering MLAs
✍️ Times of India
🗓 31 Oct 2026, 10:33 AM
👁 2
National Conference president Omar Abdullah faces backlash as several party MLAs protest the recent Jammu and Kashmir cabinet reshuffle, prompting Srinagar MP Farooq Abdullah to announce his resignation.
National Conference chief Omar Abdullah is confronting a wave of dissent within his party after the Jammu and Kashmir government announced a cabinet reshuffle. Several NC legislators have expressed dissatisfaction, alleging that the changes were made without adequate consultation and could destabilise the party's cohesion in the state.
Amid the growing unrest, Farooq Abdullah, the party's senior leader and sitting Member of Parliament from Srinagar, said he will step down from his parliamentary seat. He cited the need to respect the sentiments of the party cadre and to allow a fresh leadership approach to address the internal crisis.
The cabinet reshuffle, announced earlier this week, saw the removal and addition of a handful of ministers, a move that the opposition and some NC members view as a strategic gamble by the ruling coalition. Party insiders say the decision has strained relations between the state and central leadership of the NC.
Political analysts note that the resignation could trigger a by‑poll in Srinagar, a constituency traditionally held by the Abdullah family, and may further complicate the NC's position ahead of upcoming state elections.
The party has called for an internal review to address the grievances of the disgruntled MLAs and to chart a unified response to the government's reorganisation of the cabinet.
Amid the growing unrest, Farooq Abdullah, the party's senior leader and sitting Member of Parliament from Srinagar, said he will step down from his parliamentary seat. He cited the need to respect the sentiments of the party cadre and to allow a fresh leadership approach to address the internal crisis.
The cabinet reshuffle, announced earlier this week, saw the removal and addition of a handful of ministers, a move that the opposition and some NC members view as a strategic gamble by the ruling coalition. Party insiders say the decision has strained relations between the state and central leadership of the NC.
Political analysts note that the resignation could trigger a by‑poll in Srinagar, a constituency traditionally held by the Abdullah family, and may further complicate the NC's position ahead of upcoming state elections.
The party has called for an internal review to address the grievances of the disgruntled MLAs and to chart a unified response to the government's reorganisation of the cabinet.