The party, a junior partner in the alliance, has so far kept the National Conference guessing about its decision ahead of an expected cabinet expansion in the UT.
Still incensed over an alleged betrayal in the Rajya Sabha elections last year, the Congress is unlikely to join Omar Abdullah’s government in Jammu and Kashmir.
Ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls for the UT’s four seats, the NC announced three candidates and offered the Congress the fourth, deemed unwinnable. NC took the first three seats; the BJP’s Sat Sharma won the fourth.
The Congress said it had been assured a “safe seat”, and decided not to contest.
Cracks in the alliance widened in October last year after the Congress accused its alliance partner of betrayal in Rajya Sabha seat-sharing.
So far, Omar Abdullah is running his government with five ministers against the permitted nine.
So far, Omar Abdullah is running his government with five ministers, four from his own party and one independent, against the permitted nine. “The National Conference has made an offer asking the Congress party to join the government. Of the two, J&K has an assembly, but the central government-appointed lieutenant governor continues to have sweeping powers on key matters in the UT.
Eventually, the Congress decided in 2024 not to join the government; it said it would wait for J&K’s statehood to be restored. An elected government in Jammu and Kashmir was formed in October 2024 after over six years of direct central rule following the removal of special status under Article 370 and the bifurcation of the then state into two UTs, J&K and Ladakh.
Our stand remains unchanged,” said Ghulam Ahmad Mir, All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary and the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader for Jammu and Kashmir. After the fresh offer now, state Congress leaders have told NDTV that their position remains unchanged.
