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Aga Ruhullah firm on November 3 exit from NC
Blames Omar govt for deviating from the promises made during the polls regarding reservation, Article 370, and statehood
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Srinagar Member of Parliament, Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, is all set to resign from his Lok Sabha seat and his primary membership of the National Conference (NC) on November 3, the 26th death anniversary of his father, Aga Mehdi, who was killed in a terror attack.
The estranged leader, who had campaigned rigorously for the party in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections, was the first to raise his voice against his own government. He blamed it for deviating from the promises made during the polls, especially regarding reservation, Article 370, and statehood.
Ruhullah even led a protest to the Gupkar residence of J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah, a move that turned the top NC leadership against him, as no other party leader had ever dared to protest outside the CM’s house. In response, party leaders challenged the Srinagar MP to resign from his Lok Sabha seat, claiming the seat belonged to the NC.
Surprisingly, Ruhullah decided not only to resign from his Lok Sabha seat but also to resign from the basic membership of the party. He even refused to campaign for the party candidate in Budgam, a seat which he had represented thrice, and the party lost the seat to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Aga Syed Muntazir, who is also his close relative. The high-profile seat was vacated by Omar Abdullah after he retained the Ganderbal seat following his win from two seats in 2024.
“When I announced my decision to resign from the Lok Sabha seat and the party months ago, I am as sure about my resignation as I was when I made the announcement about it,” Ruhullah said, while declining to reveal his future plans.
It is not clear whether Ruhullah will form his own political party or join any political party opposed to the NC. However, for the past one year, the young leader has been constantly opposing the policies of the ruling government, even targeting the J&K CM.
A former minister, Ruhullah belongs to the powerful Shia clan of the Budgam Aghas in central Kashmir, which is one of the three influential religious clans of the Shia sect in J&K. The Aghas possess decades of political experience and have successfully maneuvered across different political parties. Leveraging this deep-rooted lineage, he consistently commands a massive vote share from the Shia community.
Ruhullah is a three-time legislator from Budgam and a former minister, having won his seat continuously from 2002 to 2014. In 2024, he contested the Lok Sabha polls from the prestigious Srinagar seat and won by a comfortable margin. His father, Aga Mehdi, was a Congress leader. Following Aga Mehdi’s assassination in a terror attack, Farooq Abdullah motivated the young Ruhullah, then a political novice, to join the NC and contest his first election.
Years of experience have, however, made Ruhullah a politically rooted and ideologically consistent leader. He is a very good speaker with deep knowledge of religion and politics, who can easily connect with the younger generation by using political anecdotes while advocating the cases of youth unemployment, Article 370 or statehood. He has been accusing Omar of being soft towards New Delhi even on the core issues of J&K, on which people gave a heavy mandate to the NC.
Though some leaders within the NC tried to reconcile with Ruhullah, it seemed the MP had made up his mind to say goodbye to the NC. However, it is not sure whether he will contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Srinagar seat.
Former BJP president and senior leader Ravindra Sharma described Ruhullah as politically mature and fast. “I know him, despite our differences with his agenda, but he is fast. I also heard he will resign on November 3,” he said.
Maqsood Ahmad, former editor of the current affairs programme at All India Radio, said Ruhullah hasn’t opened up all his cards yet. “It remains to be seen who joins him. It is true his resignation will be a big headline and create traction on social media. Whether his resignation will have an impact on the NC remains to be seen,” he added.
