Congress withdraws from Omar Abdullah government in J&K

The Congress opted to exit National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah’s government in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) as it sought two ministries but was offered only one, people aware of the matter said on Wednesday.

INDIA bloc leaders are expected to attend the oath-taking ceremony. (PTI)

A Congress leader said top NC and Congress leaders will discuss the issue and try to find a solution after Abdullah’s swearing-in ceremony. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will participate in the ceremony.

Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav, Prakash Karat of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), D Raja of the Communist Party of India and Dravida Munnetra legislator Kazhagam Kanimozhi were among other leaders of India’s National Inclusive Development Alliance ( INDIA) who were to participate in the oath ceremony.

Abdullah is expected to take oath as J&K’s first chief minister since the country was stripped of its semi-autonomous status in 2019 and demoted to a Union territory. Eight ministers were also expected to take oath. But only six seats were kept for ministers at the swearing-in ceremony venue after the Congress decided to stay out of the government. Former minister Ghulam Ahmad Mir and J&K Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra were among the frontrunners in securing ministerial berths.

J&K has been without an elected government since 2018. The NC-Congress alliance last governed the region from 2009 to 2014.

The Congress faced mounting pressure from allies after suffering an unexpected defeat in Haryana and underperforming in J&K. The BJP returned to power in Haryana, winning 48 of the 90 seats, while the Congress won 37, despite polls and surveys suggesting a wave in its favor. The NC-Congress alliance won 49 of the 90 seats in J&K.

The Congress won only six of the 39 seats it contested. He was expected to do well in the Jammu region, where he was in a direct fight with the BJP. But he only won one place there.

Congress allies in election-bound Maharashtra and Jharkhand have signaled a tougher deal following electoral setbacks.

Allies like the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), the Trinamool Congress, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the National Conference (NC) have asked the Congress to introspect. They warned Congress against marginalizing its partners. The Aam Aadmi Party called the Congress “overconfident” while reiterating that there would be no alliance for the Delhi elections scheduled for early next year.

The SP also unilaterally announced six of the 10 candidates for the assembly by-elections in Uttar Pradesh. It was fundamental to the dynamism of the INDIA bloc in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, with unexpectedly strong results. The bloc won 233 seats and restricted the Bharatiya Janata Party to 240, below the majority mark of 272.