Will the J&K govt fall? Omar, Farooq Abdullah to meet 25 warring MLAs today amid 14-day ultimatum
The potential withdrawal of support from these dissenting lawmakers threatens to reduce the ruling coalition to just 28 seats, effectively plunging the Jammu and Kashmir government into a minority
Twenty-five National Conference MLAs have issued a 14-day ultimatum to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, threatening to withdraw support over grievances related to cabinet appointments, leadership roles, and the party's stance on restoring Article 370. The dissenting legislators are demanding transparency in ministerial selections, the removal of current ministers, and greater merit-based representation within the administration. With the coalition currently holding 53 seats in the assembly, a potential withdrawal of these 25 members would reduce the ruling alliance to a minority, thereby plunging the Jammu and Kashmir government into a severe political crisis.
Twenty-five National Conference MLAs have issued a 14-day ultimatum to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, threatening to withdraw support over grievances related to cabinet appointments, leadership roles, and the party's stance on restoring Article 370. The dissenting legislators are demanding transparency in ministerial selections, the removal of current ministers, and greater merit-based representation within the administration. With the coalition currently holding 53 seats in the assembly, a potential withdrawal of these 25 members would reduce the ruling alliance to a minority, thereby plunging the Jammu and Kashmir government into a severe political crisis.
Twenty-five National Conference MLAs have issued a 14-day ultimatum to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, threatening to withdraw support over grievances related to cabinet appointments, leadership roles, and the party's stance on restoring Article 370. The dissenting legislators are demanding transparency in ministerial selections, the removal of current ministers, and greater merit-based representation within the administration. With the coalition currently holding 53 seats in the assembly, a potential withdrawal of these 25 members would reduce the ruling alliance to a minority, thereby plunging the Jammu and Kashmir government into a severe political crisis.
Putting the Jammu and Kashmir government in jeopardy, 25 National Conference (NC) MLAs have issued a 14-day ultimatum to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, threatening to withdraw support if he doesn’t meet their demands. The disgruntled MLAs are likely to meet NC president Farooq Abdullah and Omar in Srinagar on Friday morning.
Reports say the MLAs' dissatisfaction centres on the current cabinet, the role of the Chief Minister's advisor Nasir Sogmi, and the government's stance on the party's ideological issues. The disgruntled group demanded the removal of all current ministers and the formation of a new council of ministers.
They have also sought transparency in the selection of ministers, insisting that the appointments and allocation of departments not be controlled by only a few selected leaders. The opinion of all the MLAs should be taken, and responsibilities should be decided based on merit, the warring MLAs demand. The MLAs have also demanded that the government strongly raise the issue of restoring Article 370, Article 35A, and other constitutional safeguards related to Jammu and Kashmir.
The protestors have also highlighted the exclusion of Eidgah MLA Mubarak Gul from the Cabinet. A dissapointed Gul had previously said that he might address the media on Wednesday, but that was postponed in light of the potential meeting scheduled for Friday.
The J&K cabinet was expanded on October 26, with four NC MLAs—Ali Mohammad Sagar, Mir Saifullah, Shamima Firdous, and Altaf Ahmed Wani (Kalu). However, several senior legislators, including Gul and Abdul Majeed Larmi, were excluded. Both publicly expressed their displeasure. However, Mubarak Gul was later appointed party general secretary by Farooq Abdullah, replacing Ali Mohammad Sagar.
The party is already under pressure following the resignation announcement of Srinagar MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi.
The disgruntled MLAs held five secret meetings between October 30 and November 5. During these meetings, they strategised their demands and negotiations with the party.
The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly has 95 seats (90 elected + 5 nominated). All the nominated seats are vacant. Therefore, a majority in the House requires 46 seats. The NC alliance currently holds 53 seats. If 25 MLAs resign, the coalition's seats will be reduced to 28. This will reduce the total number of effective MLAs in the House to 65, and the new majority mark will be 33. In such a situation, the government, with 28 seats, will be in the minority.