The Congress sought two ministries but was offered only one, prompting the party to opt out of National Conference (NC)-led government in Jammu & Kashmir
The Congress has opted out of National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah’s government in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) as it sought two ministries but was offered only one, people aware of the matter said on Wednesday.
A Congress leader said that top NC and Congress leaders will discuss the issue and try to hammer out a solution after Abdullah’s swearing-in ceremony. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, the Opposition leader in Lok Sabha, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will attend the ceremony.
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Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav, Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s Prakash Karat, D Raja of the Communist Party of India, and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam lawmaker Kanimozhi were among other Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) leaders expected to attend the oath-taking ceremony.
Abdullah is due to take oath as the first chief minister of J&K since it was stripped of its semi-autonomous status in 2019 and downgraded to a Union territory. Eight ministers were expected to sworn in as well. But only six chairs were kept for the ministers at the venue of the inauguration ceremony after 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 to get 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 has faced increased pressure from the allies after it suffered an unexpected loss in Haryana and underperformed in J&K. The BJP returned to power in Haryana, winning 48 out of the 90 seats while the Congress bagged 37 even as exit polls and surveys suggested a wave in its favour. The NC-Congress alliance won 49 out of the 90 seats in J&K.
