Who is NC MP Aga Syed Ruhullah set to resign from party, seat?

National Conference MP Aga Syed Ruhullah is likely to announce his next political move. The posters, pasted in parts of Budgam, asked the public to attend the gathering of a leader who is the "Voice of the Voiceless"

National Conference (NC) Member of Parliament Aga Syed Ruhullah, who raised a banner of revolt against NC vice president and J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on ideological grounds, is set to resign from the party and step down from the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency on Tuesday (November 3, 2026). The decision evoked mixed reactions within the party.

Mr. Ruhullah, 48, a prominent Shia cleric from Budgam, has risen as an ideological force within the party ever since the Centre revoked J&K's special status in 2019. "876 days we kept our heads down serving J&K. Tomorrow, November 3, a new journey starts," reads a post on X.

The administration granted permission for the observance of the death anniversary of the father of Mr. Ruhullah at the Behishti Zehra Park, Budgam, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. However, no rally or procession shall be permitted, and no anti-national activity, banner, poster or material inimical to the interests of the country shall be displayed, reads the official order. It warned of action in case of any violation.

Mr. Ruhullah has chosen the death anniversary of his father, Aga Syed Mehdi Mustafa, also a prominent Shia leader, who was assassinated in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast triggered by militants on November 3, 2000, on the Kanihama-Magam road in the Budgam district. The assassinated leader was a Congress leader and contested the Parliament elections in 1998 on Congress ticket.

"Your Martyrdom was Allah's reward for the way you lived your life. Your principles and courage-though hard to match-has always been the guide," wrote Mr. Ruhullah on X, on the eve of the death anniversary.

Mr. Ruhullah is likely to announce his next political move. The posters, pasted in parts of Budgam, asked the public to attend the gathering of a leader, who is "Voice of the Voiceless".

Mr. Ruhullah won the 2014 Parliament election and bagged 3.56 lakh votes, and his victory margin was 1.88 lakh votes over his rival Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra from the Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP). However, he has questioned CM Abdullah's approach adopted after the Centre ended special status and accused him of "drifting away from the core ideology of the party".

In the 2025 by-election, Mr. Ruhullah decided against campaigning for the party in the by-election for the Budgam seat. He even held a protest outside the Chief Minister's office over the issue of a "skewed reservation policy".

He publicly denounced Mr. Abdullah for his failure to pursue ideological goals and the election manifesto, which called for a struggle over special status and autonomy of the region. Of late, Mr. Ruhullah held parallel protests in Delhi and Srinagar over "abrogation of Article 370 and harassment of Kashmir Muslims outside".

In his recent tweet on X against Mr. Abdullah, Ruhullah wrote: "The crown prince and his cabal treat J&K as an estate passed down through the family. They expect the people to vote, then know their place. They take us for fools who cannot tell a broken promise from a political necessity."

He asked Mr. Abdullah to honour his own manifesto, and they lectured us on how little we understand realpolitik. "We demanded the restoration of Article 370, the release of prisoners and the protection of our rights. They sought power on those promises, then treated us as fools for expecting them to deliver. We refuse to lend our name to this humiliation. There is no fixing this rot from within," he said.

Mr. Ruhullah joined the Omar Abdullah Cabinet first time in 2009 and held the portfolios of Science and Technology and Animal Husbandry. He, however, earned prominence for himself after 2019 as he started focussing on the issues of "disempowerment of Kashmir and Muslims in the country".

In an interview, Mr. Ruhullah said he "neither changed his stand nor betrayed anyone". "Whether people support me or not, I must be answerable to God. I have made no political calculations. This is not about votes or numbers; this is politics of conscience," said Mr. Ruhullah.

Meanwhile, there is a mixed reaction of Mr. Ruhullah's move. "The NC is not just a 'tehreek' [movement], but not merely a political party. Ruhullah is a good friend of mine. There is still plenty of time; let's see what happens," said NC minister Altaf Kaloo.

Another NC minister, Javed Rana, said, "If Mr. Ruhullah resigns, Allah ke hawalay. If he doesn't, he should return to the organisation and work with it.

Independent lawmaker Shabir Ahmad Kullay said the resignation "would be a major loss for the people of Kashmir". "If MP Ruhullah has differences with the party, he may leave the party but should not resign as MP, as Kashmiris may then lose a voice in Parliament," said Mr. Kullay.