Sources say Nazir Ahmad Gurezi has been sounded out for Speaker’s post; party looking at Abdul Rahim Rather as a possible candidate for Srinagar Lok Sabha seat amid Aga Ruhullah’s November 3 ultimatum
WS/VP Special Correspondent
Srinagar, Oct 27 : The National Conference’s Cabinet expansion has brought simmering discontent within the ruling party into sharper focus, with the absence of senior legislator Nazir Ahmad Gurezi from Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony fuelling speculation about his next move and the party’s efforts to manage dissent among its senior leaders.
Highly placed sources told The Web Story/The Varmul Post Gurezi, a senior NC legislator, was being sounded out for the post of Speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly. The sources also said the party is considering senior leader Abdul Rahim Rather as a possible candidate for the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, amid uncertainty over the political future of sitting MP Syed Aga Ruhullah.
Ruhullah has announced that he would resign from both the party and his Lok Sabha seat on November 3, 2026, citing a deep ideological rift with the party over its position on Article 370 and its political strategy after returning to power.
Gurezi’s absence from the swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday, when four legislators were inducted into the Council of Ministers, has added to questions about the extent of discontent within the party following the Cabinet reshuffle.
Sources said the issue was conveyed to Gurezi through newly inducted ministers Mir Saifullah and Altaf Ahmad Kaloo, who visited his residence after taking oath.
The reasons for the absence of some other NC legislators, including the party’s MLA from Kangan, could not be independently ascertained.
The developments come amid growing dissatisfaction among supporters of senior NC leader Mubarak Gul, who has once again been left out of the Council of Ministers. Gul, a former Speaker and the party’s Eidgah MLA, had publicly expressed disappointment over his exclusion from the expanded Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
Soon after Gul voiced his displeasure, NC president Farooq Abdullah appointed him the party’s general secretary. However, sources said it remained unclear whether Gul would accept the organisational post, with some of his supporters continuing to press for his resignation.
The appointment appeared to be an attempt by the party leadership to address the concerns of a senior leader who has been left out of the government despite his standing within the organisation.
The Cabinet expansion has also brought the party’s internal balancing act into focus, with the leadership required to accommodate competing claims from senior legislators while maintaining cohesion in the ruling formation.
The Opposition was quick to seize on the developments. Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Sunil Sharma said he would stand by legislators who had been denied ministerial berths, while holding Chief Minister Omar Abdullah responsible for addressing their grievances.
“I will wipe their tears, but it is Omar Sahab’s responsibility to wipe those tears. We will also wipe them,” Sharma said.
Tuesday’s expansion saw Ali Mohammad Sagar, Shamima Firdous, Mir Saifullah and Altaf Ahmad Kaloo inducted into the Omar Abdullah-led government, taking the Council of Ministers to its maximum permissible strength of nine, including the Chief Minister.
While the expansion has filled the available ministerial positions, the absence of some senior leaders from the ceremony and the discontent expressed by their supporters have raised questions about whether the party leadership can contain the fallout without further organisational or political consequences.
