'Political suicide': Omar Abdullah rebukes Rahullah after Budgam loss; NC's internal rift deepens

After the historic defeat of National Conference (NC) candidate Aga Syed Mahmood Al-Masovi from the Budgam Assembly seat, a war of words has erupted between Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the party's disgruntled Lok Sabha member, Aga Syed Rahullah Mehdi.

Within minutes of Rahullah launching a veiled attack on the "arrogant" party leadership, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah hit back at the annoyed MP. Omar said that by allowing the PDP candidate, Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi, to win the Budgam bypoll, Rahullah had committed "political suicide."

Quoting the phrase, "You cut your nose to spite your face," Omar Abdullah said that senior NC leader Aga Ruhullah had "damaged himself politically" by distancing himself from the Budgam by-election campaign. He said the move was intended to send a message to the party, but ended up hurting Rahullah more than anyone else.

Speaking to reporters, Omar said, "Rahullah committed political suicide just to give me a message, but this step will prove disastrous for him."

"Rahullah should remember that the person who has won from there will never allow him to rise again in Budgam," he added.

The Chief Minister noted that Rahullah's political revival in Budgam would now depend entirely on his own ability to regain lost ground.

"Only Ruhullah can decide whether he will rise again in Budgam or not," Omar said. "Whatever happened, happened."

Omar acknowledged that the NC had anticipated a difficult contest even before campaigning began.

"In Budgam, people do not vote only on work," he said. "There is a significant section that does not vote on issues at all. Many voters make their choice quietly, behind the curtain. So I already knew it wouldn't be easy for us."

He added that the final outcome was shaped by a mix of silent votes, internal dissatisfaction and shifting political sentiment.

"We accept the verdict and move forward," the Chief Minister said.

Ruhullah Says Arrogance Led to NC's Budgam Defeat

Earlier, Aga Rahullah Mehdi had cited a Quranic verse to indirectly comment on the outcome, describing arrogance as "a recipe for disaster" and calling for humility and introspection.

In a post on X, Mehdi quoted verse 146 from Surah Al-A'raf, which warns against arrogance and ignoring divine guidance:
"I will turn away from My signs those who are arrogant upon the earth without right… And if they see the way of consciousness, they will not adopt it as a way; but if they see the way of error, they will adopt it as a way."

He said the lesson from the verse is that "arrogance is the recipe for disaster," adding that "consciousness, humility, and introspection is the way."

While he did not directly mention the Budgam bypoll, his remarks appeared to allude to the outcome, where PDP's Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi defeated NC's Aga Syed Mehmood Al-Mosavi by 4,478 votes.

Mehdi's statement came amid internal rumblings within the National Conference after the setback in Budgam—a seat vacated last year when Omar Abdullah resigned after winning from Ganderbal.

Earlier, Rahullah Mehdi had openly declined to campaign for the NC candidate, citing unfulfilled promises by the NC-led government in Jammu and Kashmir.