Internal revolt, electoral shock: A turbulent year for J&K's ruling Omar-led NC

The year 2025 witnessed significant political setbacks for the ruling National Conference (NC) as the party, for the first time, lost the Budgam Assembly seat, long considered its citadel since 1947.

Apart from suffering a major blow in the Budgam Assembly by-election, the party also faced internal dissent in the form of a revolt by its Lok Sabha member from the Srinagar–Budgam constituency, Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi.

Towards the fag end of 2024, Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi began flexing his muscles against the party leadership when he joined hands with the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) led by Engineer Rashid in opposing the prevailing reservation policy in Jammu and Kashmir.

The rift, which began on December 22, 2024, further widened in November 2025 when the National Conference leadership did not invite its increasingly vocal and displeased Srinagar MP to the crucial two-day Working Committee meeting. The meeting was chaired by NC president Dr. Farooq Abdullah and attended by Vice President and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, along with all Working Committee members and special invitees.

Speaking to reporters, Ruhullah said he had no information about the meeting and insisted that he was not invited, despite being a permanent member of the Working Committee. This marked the first time since 2002 that he was excluded from such a meeting.

On December 26, Ruhullah Mehdi warned that if the government failed to engage with protesting students over the reservation issue, he would personally join their agitation.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah strongly rebutted Ruhullah Mehdi's remarks on the reservation policy in government jobs and professional colleges, asserting that he would not be pressured into taking any wrong decision.

In his strongest reaction so far, Omar Abdullah said he was neither afraid of threats nor willing to bow to intimidation. "I am not afraid of anyone's threats, nor will I take any wrong decision under pressure. I don't know what you think of yourself," the Chief Minister said.

He maintained that sensitive issues such as the reservation policy cannot be settled through street pressure or ultimatums and must be addressed strictly within the constitutional and legal framework after due consultation with all stakeholders.

NC leader dares Ruhullah to resign

Amid mounting speculation over internal discord within the ruling National Conference, the party's provincial secretary for Jammu, Sheikh Bashir, openly challenged Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi to resign from Parliament and seek a fresh mandate from the people if he was unhappy with the party's direction.

In an informal conversation with a digital media outlet — a video of which later went viral on social media — Sheikh Bashir asserted that "the party is always bigger than any individual," in a veiled rebuke aimed at the dissenting parliamentarian.

His remarks came in response to Aga Ruhullah's recent announcement that he would convene a meeting of his supporters to decide his future course of action. The move was widely interpreted as a sign of growing estrangement between Ruhullah and the party's central leadership.

In a pointed reminder, Sheikh Bashir invoked the example of Mirza Afzal Beg — one of the founding members of the National Conference — who faced political isolation after falling out with the party leadership in the past. "History is a great teacher," Bashir remarked, suggesting Ruhullah should draw lessons from earlier instances of dissent within the NC.

Ruhullah's role in NC's historic defeat in Budgam

According to party insiders, the National Conference's defeat in the Budgam Assembly by-election was largely attributed to the non-cooperative attitude of Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi.

The opposition People's Democratic Party wrested the Budgam Assembly seat from the ruling NC in a high-profile by-election, marking the party's first-ever electoral defeat in this Shia-majority constituency.

The result was historic. Since 1962, the NC had lost the Budgam seat only once — in 1972, when it did not contest the election. This marked the first time the party was defeated here in a direct electoral contest.

PDP candidate Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi won the seat by a margin of 4,478 votes, securing 21,576 votes against 17,098 polled by NC candidate Aga Syed Mahmood Al-Masovi. BJP's Aga Syed Mohsin Mosvi finished a distant third with 2,619 votes, trailing behind Independents Nazir Ahmed Khan (3,089 votes) and Muntazir Mohi-ud-Din (3,030 votes).

The by-election assumed significance after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah vacated the Budgam seat, opting to retain the other constituency he had won in 2024. Omar had swept Budgam last year with 36,010 votes, while Mehdi had secured 17,525 votes.

Determined to defend its stronghold, the National Conference fielded Aga Syed Mahmood and mounted an intensive campaign led by Omar Abdullah, senior leaders, and most party MLAs. The party projected the bypoll as a referendum on the government's first year in office.