Srinagar MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi on Tuesday announced his resignation from Jammu and Kashmir's ruling National Conference (NC) and from his parliamentary seat, in a speech at a large gathering of supporters in Budgam town, news agency IANS reported.
Source: IANS via The English Post
Addressing the gathering at Behishti Zehra Park in Budgam, organised to mark the death anniversary of his father, Aga Syed Mehdi, he said that after 24 years of association he was ending his relationship with the NC and also relinquishing the Lok Sabha seat. IANS reported that he signed the papers resigning from the primary membership of the NC in front of the gathering.
In a pointed attack on Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, he said: “The chair you occupy today has power, but no respect; if you want to see respect, come to Budgam.” Daily Jagran, reporting the same rally, quoted him as saying he prayed he would never become so dependent on power that he had to throw away his dignity to hold on to it, and that while people who lose a chair usually feel unhappy, he was giving one up and feeling happy about it.
Source: Daily Jagran
The charges he levelled — his allegations
Mehdi alleged — and these are his claims, made in his speech — that the NC leadership had failed the commitments on which votes were sought, including the restoration of Article 370 and the dignity of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, reservation policy, the release of political prisoners, and election promises on free LPG and free electricity. He claimed the reservation distribution left open-merit candidates with only 30 per cent of seats in training and government jobs, and claimed that electricity tariffs were raised after the party had promised to throw smart meters into the Jhelum river. He also attacked party president Dr Farooq Abdullah in his speech. The reports checked for this story did not carry a response from the NC leadership.
Mehdi had signalled this step in advance: he had announced he would resign on November 3, the death anniversary of his father, and had for weeks publicly criticised the party leadership over what he described as its failure to fulfil its electoral commitments, Daily Jagran reported. News of Kashmir reported that he told the gathering his decision was not driven by personal grievance or by being denied a position, and that he wanted to bring together young people for a new political platform.
Source: News of Kashmir
Background and what happens next
Mehdi won the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 general election by a margin of over 1.8 lakh votes, according to Daily Jagran. This is not his first break with the party leadership: after the abrogation of Article 370, he accused the NC of remaining silent and resigned as the party's chief spokesperson in July 2020, the report said.
His announcement does not by itself vacate the Srinagar seat. Under parliamentary procedure, a Lok Sabha seat becomes vacant when the Speaker accepts the member's resignation; only after that formal step would a by-election process for the Srinagar constituency follow. There was no word in the reports checked at the time of writing on whether a formal resignation letter had reached the Speaker's office, or any official NC reaction.