Srinagar: Today, Srinagar Member of Parliament Aga Ruhullah Mehdi resigns from the Lok Sabha and severes his association with the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC), bringing an extended period of political disagreement with the party leadership to an end. His decision marks another major political development in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.Like Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Tariq Hameed Karra before him, Ruhullah’s exit is rooted in disagreements over Kashmir’s political identity, constitutional rights and the direction of mainstream politics. But the question remains, who will provide him with the political platform to pursue his demands and will his next political move remain consistent with the ideology that brought him public support?His resignation is important not just because a sitting parliamentarian has walked away from his party and parliamentary position, but also because it places Ruhullah in a rare political tradition in Kashmir, sending a clear message to his erstwhile party and the Union government – an elected representative has quit because he is concerned by what he says is “Kashmir’s political future and the rights of its people”.The first to set the precedent was Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, whose political disagreement with the Congress leadership, apparently over Kashmir, became more personal after the 1986 Rajiv-Farooq Accord. Sayeed had been associated with the Congress and held key organisational and Rajya Sabha seats. At the time, the sentiment was that he had felt cornered following Rajiv Gandhi’s rapprochement with the Abdullah family.File image of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed with his daughter Mehbooba Mufti during a meeting in Srinagar in October 2002. Photo: PTISayeed resigned in 1987 from his position as Union tourism minister. However, he did not resign from his Rajya Sabha membership, which he continued to hold until July 1989.He was eventually disqualified from the Rajya Sabha, the first under the anti-defection law.“I didn’t resign at that time… My main theme was that gun is no solution to the Kashmir dispute. If you want to resolve Kashmir, you have to resolve it through the political process. When Atal Bihari [Vajpayee] talks to Nawaz Sharif, why doesn’t he talk to the separatists?” Sayeed had said in an interview with Chindu Sreedharan for Rediff, published in 1999.Sayeed’s departure from Congress in 1987 and subsequent association with the Janata Dal represented a major shift in his political trajectory. Sayeed did not immediately created a Kashmir-centric political outfit.His political journey eventually came full circle with the creation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 1999. The party emerged as an alternative to the Abdullahs’ NC. Presenting itself as a political platform that could articulate Kashmir’s regional aspirations while remaining within India’s electoral framework, PDP rode the popular wave.Senior journalist Muzamil Jameel, deputy editor at The Indian Express, in his article published in 2016 wrote, “Mufti was one among the only few politicians in Kashmir who never stopped to be a staunch Indian and fought New Delhi’s political battles in the valley till his death. This is why when he decided to join BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] in an alliance earlier in 2015 – a decision deemed as a dangerous gamble for his party that had emerged as a Kashmir-centric, soft separatist party ever since its inception in 1999 – his political journey in a way came a full circle.”Jaleel further observed that Mufti’s political journey was distinctive because he had not entered electoral politics through separatist politics or crossed an ideological boundary to join mainstream politics.File image. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, left, with Jammu and Kashmir Congress President Tariq Hameed Karra during a joint press conference, in Srinagar, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. Photo: PTI.The second major political exit was that of Tariq Hameed Karra, who resigned from the Lok Sabha in 2016 and left the PDP, protesting against what he described as the “government’s brutal handling of the situation in Kashmir and the PDP’s alliance with the BJP”.Karra’s departure was a blow for PDP as he had been among its founding figures. His disagreement with the PDP-BJP alliance eventually pushed him to the Congress, the very party Sayeed had left to establish the PDP.In both resignations, the disagreements were not simply about political positions or organisational differences of the leaders. It reflected larger questions about the relationship between Kashmir’s political aspirations and the national political setup.Ruhullah’s departure now adds another chapter to this history. His resignation carries an additional emotional aspect for him. November 3 marks the 26th death anniversary of his father, Aga Syed Mehdi, a prominent Shia religious and political leader from Central Kashmir’s Budgam district who was killed along with several others when an explosive device detonated as his vehicle passed along the Kanihama-Magam road on November 3, 2000.Aga Syed Mehdi was associated with the Congress and contested the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency on its ticket in 1998.At the age of 28, Omar Abdullah entered the 12th Lok Sabha as one of the youngest members of parliament. Omar won against Aga Syed Mehdi in 1998.The fact that Ruhullah chose the anniversary of his father’s assassination for his political departure adds a personal dimension to an already consequential decision.Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather looks on empty seats after opposition MLAs staged a walkout during the autumn session of the UT’s Assembly, in Srinagar, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. Photo: PTI.The rift between Ruhullah and the NC did not emerge overnight. On August 5, 2019, the Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi removed Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status guaranteed under Article 370 of the Indian constitution and reorganised the erstwhile state into two Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.Also read: ‘We are Losing Ground’: National Conference Legislators Warn J&K’s Leadership Amid Fight for StatehoodIn July 2020, following his detention during the political developments following the move, Ruhullah had resigned from his position as the NC’s chief spokesperson. He wrote on X: “I have sent across my resignation from the post of chief spokesperson of JKNC. From here on none of my statements should be considered as such.”His disagreement with the party centred on what he believed should be the principal political demand of Jammu and Kashmir. While the NC focused on the restoration of statehood, Ruhullah said that statehood could not be the substitute for the restoration of the pre-August 5 position of the region.Ruhullah noted, “Restoration of statehood should be the least of the demands, not the ultimate political objective.” He believed that accepting the statehood under political setup would amount to lowering the political demands of the people.Despite resigning from the position of NC’s chief spokesperson, he did not immediately leave the party and remained within the organisational framework of the NC for over six years.The NC fielded Ruhullah from the Srinagar parliamentary constituency in 2024. He became one of the party’s most prominent political voices during the campaigns and won the election comfortably.However, after Omar formed the government under the Union Territory arrangement and became first chief minister of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Ruhullah questioned what he described as “the gap between the promises made during campaigning and the government’s actions after assuming office” and accused NC of adopting a non-serious approach towards fulfilling its electoral commitments.The cracks became more visible in December 2024 when Ruhullah joined students protesting against Jammu and Kashmir’s reservation policy outside Omar’s residence. His participation was politically strong as he shared space with the political opponents of the NC. He was not an outsider protesting against NC, he was an elected MP of the party. He kept challenging what he called “soft policy” implemented by his own party.It shows that Ruhullah was ready to position himself independently of the party leadership, even when doing so meant publicly questioning Omar’s government. The disagreement extended beyond reservations to include Article 370, statehood, autonomy, political prisoners and the larger question of Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional future.Over the following years, Ruhullah increasingly developed his own political identity. His interventions on issues that touched the nerve of Kashmiris and strengthened his position among sections of the population who felt that mainstream politicians had not adequately addressed their concerns after 2019.The turning point came when NC president Farooq Abdullah, at a public rally, challenged Ruhullah to resign from the NC and parliament if he disagreed with the party’s political position. Farooq asked him to “seek a fresh mandate from the people”.Before his resignation, Ruhullah had said in the media that he wanted to fulfil certain parliamentary responsibilities, including the disbursement of MPLADS funds. He also expressed his intention to bring Members of Parliament to Srinagar to press for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional rights.Who will provide Ruhullah a political platform?This is perhaps the most important question emerging from his resignation as he is saying that he will fight for the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.Kashmir’s mainstream political history has largely been shaped by the NC and the PDP, alongside the Congress and other national political organisations. Meanwhile, separatist politics occupied a distinct political space for decades but was dismantled after 2019.The constitutional changes of 2019 significantly altered this political landscape of the sensitive region. The subsequent weakening of the separatist political space and the limitations of mainstream electoral politics under the Union Territory arrangements created a vacuum for a different kind of politics.Ruhullah appears to be attempting to occupy part of that space by remaining within electoral politics. He maintains a confrontational position on the constitutional and political questions concerning Jammu and Kashmir. His big challenge will be to turn public support into an organised political movement or party that can function independently of the NC.Former chief minister Sayeed, after leaving Congress over the disagreement with the party, eventually formed the PDP as an alternative political organisation. Tariq Hameed Karra, after leaving the PDP, returned to the Congress, the very party from which Mufti broke away.But Ruhullah’s next political destination is not yet defined by his resignation alone. Will he remain an independent political voice for the people of Jammu and Kashmir? Will he attempt to build a new political party? Or will another political formation provide him with the organisational space to pursue his demands?These questions will determine whether his departure becomes another individual political protest or the beginning of a larger political development in Kashmir.Meanwhile, political circles are abuzz with speculation that Ruhullah could find his next political destination in the Congress. Although no formal political decision has established such a possibility, the speculation itself raises an important question about the ideological consistency of Ruhullah’s politics.For many of his supporters, “Ruhullah’s political appeal is rooted in his uncompromising position on Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional rights and his criticism of the political establishment that has shaped the region’s post-2019 reality.” In this context, an association with Congress could prove politically controversial.The Congress is not an unfamiliar political faction in the history of Kashmir’s political disagreements. Its past political arrangements, particularly the 1986 Rajiv-Farooq Accord and the subsequent electoral understanding with the NC, remain part of the debate surrounding the marginalisation of regional political due to New Delhi’s intervention in the internal politics of the region.For these supporters, joining Congress could be seen not merely as a change of political affiliation but as an ideological contradiction, potentially amounting to a betrayal of the trust they have placed in him.The criticism would be sharp if Ruhullah’s exit from the NC is presented as a struggle for political and constitutional rights, only to be followed by affiliating with a party whose historical role in Kashmir remains contested.This is where Ruhullah faces his most difficult political test. Leaving the NC may have strengthened his image as a leader willing to challenge his own party, but his next political move will determine whether that image survives.His supporters may stand with him because of his position on Kashmir, rather than because of his individual political personality.Ultimately, the question is not which party Ruhullah joins, it is whether the political platform he chooses can remain consistent with the ideological commitments that brought him support in the first place.Ruhullah’s resignation should be understood against the longer history of political disagreements in Jammu and Kashmir. From Sayeed’s departure from Congress to Karra’s exit from the PDP, political ruptures have often emerged when elected representatives believed their parties had moved away from the positions on which they had built their political identities.Ruhullah’s case is different in one important respect. He is challenging a party that returned to power on promises closely associated with the very demands he continues to raise.His resignation therefore makes the NC leadership face questions of political accountability, while simultaneously placing Ruhullah before the challenge of translating his ideological position into a viable political future.The real test will not be his ability to leave the NC. It will be his ability to establish what comes after his resignation.For Kashmir, November 3 may consequently be remembered not merely as the day a parliamentarian resigned, but as another moment in the continuing struggle over who represents the political aspirations, constitutional rights and future of Jammu and Kashmir.