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J&K: Ex-ministers Saroori, Mohiuddin back in Congress
Taj Mohiuddin and GM Saroori were with Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic Progressive Azad Party for the past two years; Farooq Mir who is vice-chairman of the District Development Council, Kupwara, too rejoined Congress
Two former ministers Taj Mohiuddin and GM Saroori quit Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) and rejoined the Congress in Srinagar on Friday. Both had joined Azad’s party two years ago.
The rejoining of two senior leaders — one from Kashmir and another from Jammu region — comes days after dozens of leaders who had brief tenure in the DPAP rejoined the Congress.
Two-time former legislator Taj Mohiuddin, a prominent Gujjar leader and former minister and currently the DDC member from Uri, contested last year’s assembly polls unsuccessfully. Mohiuddin was with the Congress for decades. In 2023, he was named DPAP’s treasurer after he joined former J&K chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad’s party. GM Saroori was also an old Congress leader but was considered close to Azad. Though he contested the last assembly elections as an independent from Inderwal in Doda, he lost by a narrow margin.
Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress president Tariq Hameed Karra said these leaders, who had quit the party, had requested for rejoining. “They are strong leaders and will work to strengthen the party not only in J&K but their native places,” he said.
Taj Mohiuddin said he regretted leaving the Congress earlier. “It’s like homecoming,” he said.
Saroori said, “I will do everything to make Congress strong.”
Another leader, Farooq Mir who is vice-chairman of the District Development Council, Kupwara, also rejoined the party. After leaving the Congress, he joined Peoples Conference and then unsuccessfully contested last year’s assembly election as an independent candidate.
Last month, former two-time legislator Mohammad Amin Bhat, a close associate of Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chief Ghulam Nabi Azad, had rejoined the Congress. Bhat had resigned from DPAP and made the switch at a function in Anantnag.
The Congress, which contested the assembly elections in alliance with the National Conference (NC), has six MLAs — five from Kashmir and one from Rajouri. However, it failed to win any seats in the Jammu region, once the party’s stronghold. After assembly elections, many leaders rejoined the party across the UT, especially those who had joined Azad’s DPAP.
After a drubbing in the J&K assembly elections, losing all the 25 seats it contested, the DPAP had dissolved all party units, including state, provisional, district and block committees. It had also removed the panel of spokespersons. Though the party said re-organisation would be done soon, it has maintained silence.
Azad formed DPAP in September 2022, ending his five-decade association with the Congress. DPAP was eyeing itself as an alternative to regional parties such as the NC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The DPAP could not gain any ground in its two electoral outings, losing all three seats it contested in the Lok Sabha polls before the assembly elections. In the assembly elections, most DPAP contestants could not even save their security deposits.
