SRINAGAR, November 4 (Aalimi Nation) – Srinagar Lok Sabha member Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi has quit the National Conference (NC) and resigned from Parliament, saying the party abandoned its promises on Article 370 after the 2024 Assembly elections. He announced the decision at a rally in Budgam on Tuesday and hinted at a new political movement in Jammu and Kashmir. No response from the NC leadership was available at the time of writing.

Mehdi spoke for about 80 minutes at Bahisht-e-Zehra Park in Budgam on the 26th death anniversary of his father, Aga Syed Mehdi, before thousands of supporters. He signed his party resignation on stage, saying, "I am signing the document of my freedom," and said the date and time of the decision, November 3, 2.40 pm, should be remembered.

Mehdi, a three-time MLA elected to the Lok Sabha on an NC ticket in 2024, ended a 24-year association with the party. He also shared on social media a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, citing Article 101(3)(b) of the Constitution and Rule 240 of the Lok Sabha rules. "This resignation is voluntary and genuine, and is tendered of my own free will," he wrote, with immediate effect. The seat falls vacant once the Speaker accepts the resignation, and no by-election date has been announced.

In a separate letter to the NC leadership, dated November 3, Mehdi traced his differences to the party's stance after the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A in 2019. He said he campaigned "vigorously and tirelessly" in 2024.

"Once the election was over, the NC did an about turn," he wrote, adding: "Personally, I saw this as a betrayal." He said the party gave up the struggle for "mere governmentality" and what he called a vague promise of restoration of statehood. "I cannot and will not be party to this," he wrote.

At the rally, Mehdi criticised Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Farooq Abdullah, accusing them of not delivering on poll promises including Article 370, the release of political prisoners and constitutional rights. These are his own statements, and the NC has not been reported to have replied to the specific accusations.

Mehdi said becoming chief minister was not his final aim. He said he would travel across the Union Territory to find honest and educated young people and senior citizens to lead a movement, and that the name would be decided with the people after ground mobilisation. "We will set the agenda. No person sitting in Delhi can set the agenda for us," he said.

An NC spokesperson, Imran Nabi Dar, had earlier described Mehdi as a senior leader and an important religious personality. "We had hoped for him to review his decision," Dar said. "If there was an issue, it could have been resolved through dialogue." He added that the political situation in Jammu and Kashmir was already difficult and urged Mehdi to reconsider.