New Delhi: The Congress is unlikely to join the Omar Abdullah led government in Jammu and Kashmir, keeping the alliance between the Congress and National Conference under strain ahead of a possible cabinet expansion.
The Congress, which is a junior partner in the alliance, has maintained that its position has not changed despite a fresh invitation from the National Conference to join the government. Congress Legislature Party leader and AICC General Secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir said the party had received the offer but would continue with its existing position.
Omar Abdullah is currently running the administration with five ministers, including four from the National Conference and one independent. The council can have a maximum of nine ministers under the applicable constitutional framework.
The disagreement between the two parties intensified after last year’s Rajya Sabha elections. The National Conference announced three candidates for the four seats and offered the remaining seat to Congress, which considered it unwinnable. Congress had expected a more secure seat and chose not to contest.
The National Conference subsequently won three seats, while the BJP secured the fourth through Sat Sharma. The episode angered sections of the Congress leadership, with the party’s Jammu and Kashmir unit even seeking a review of its alliance with the National Conference.
In the 90 member Assembly, the National Conference currently has 41 MLAs and Congress has six, giving the alliance a combined strength of 47, just above the majority mark of 46. The BJP has 29 seats, while the PDP has four.
Tensions had surfaced even before the Rajya Sabha dispute. Following the 2024 Assembly elections, Congress sought two ministerial positions, while the National Conference was prepared to offer one. Congress ultimately chose not to enter the government, saying it would wait for Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood to be restored.
An elected government returned to Jammu and Kashmir in October 2024 after more than six years of direct central administration. However, the Union Territory continues to have a Lieutenant Governor with significant powers over several areas of governance.
For now, Congress remains outside Omar Abdullah’s cabinet, leaving the alliance’s internal differences unresolved.
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