Two ex-ministers quit Ghulam Nabi’s party, rejoin Cong

Two former Jammu and Kashmir ministers have returned to the Congress party after a brief stint with the Ghulam Nabi Azad-led Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP). Taj Mohiuddin from north Kashmir’s Uri and GM Saroori from the Jammu region formally rejoined the Congress at the party office in Srinagar on Friday. DDC vice chairman (Kupwara) Haji Farooq Mir also rejoined the party along with them.

The Congress described the development as significant, saying it would further strengthen the party in the Union Territory. The leaders were welcomed back by All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Syed Naseer Hussain, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president Tariq Hameed Karra and other senior party members.

Speaking to the media, Hussain said several leaders who had earlier left the Congress and joined other parties are currently in touch with them and may soon rejoin after following due procedure.

“The two former ministers, who were associated with the Congress Party for decades, admitted that leaving the party was a big mistake and acknowledged that their decision was absolutely wrong,” the Congress said in a statement. “They also expressed their regret and apologised for quitting the party.”

Mohiuddin and Saroori had joined the DPAP after its formation in 2022 when Ghulam Nabi Azad parted ways with the Congress. However, as Azad’s party failed to make a mark on the ground and could not secure even a single seat in the Lok Sabha or legislative elections, it witnessed a steady exodus of leaders who had initially supported the new political outfit. Mohiuddin, an ex-MLA from Uri in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, had resigned from the Congress in August 2022 to join the DPAP. He later left the DPAP in 2023 and unsuccessfully contested the Assembly polls last year as an independent candidate.

Speaking to journalists, Mohiuddin said he believed he had never truly left the Congress and described his time away as being “on leave.” He added that he had always considered himself a dedicated soldier of the party.

Saroori, who served as the DPAP’s vice president, had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Udhampur-Jammu constituency but was unsuccessful. Later, when the party denied him a ticket in the Assembly polls, he contested as an independent candidate from the Inderwal constituency in Kishtwar district.

The Congress said the return of the two leaders would further strengthen the party’s base in J&K. In last year’s Assembly elections, the Congress secured six seats, five of which were from the Kashmir region. The party is currently part of a ruling alliance with the National Conference, although it does not hold any ministerial positions in the present J&K government. A senior party leader said the returning leaders would focus on strengthening the Congress at the grassroots level in their respective areas.

J & K