Ruhullah, the Srinagar Lok Sabha member, has chosen November 3, the death anniversary of his father and prominent Shia leader Aga Syed Mehdi, for the resignation, giving the decision a deeply personal and symbolic dimension.

 

The announcement comes days after NC president Farooq Abdullah publicly challenged the dissenting MP to resign from Parliament and seek a fresh mandate if he believed his electoral victory was based on his own political support.

 

“If you think people voted for you, resign and go back to them. We will see how many votes you get,” Abdullah had said.

 

Ruhullah has accepted the challenge, saying he will return to the people and place before them the reasons behind his decision to sever ties with the party.

 

The political rupture has its roots in what Ruhullah has described as a departure by the NC leadership from commitments made during the election campaign, particularly on the restoration of Article 370 and the political rights and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

 

The NC had campaigned on the promise of continuing the political and constitutional struggle for the restoration of J&K's special status. Ruhullah, however, has increasingly expressed dissatisfaction with what he sees as the party's post-election approach and its inability to pursue those commitments with the urgency he believes they demand.

 

His differences have also extended to issues including reservation policies, regional representation and greater political autonomy, widening the gap between him and the party leadership.

 

The disagreement has now evolved from an internal difference into an open political confrontation, with Ruhullah maintaining that his position is rooted in the mandate he received from voters rather than personal ambition.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel

 

By choosing to resign and face the electorate again, Ruhullah appears set to turn the dispute into a direct political test.

 

He has indicated that after resigning, he intends to seek the people's mandate from Budgam and subsequently contest a possible by-election as an independent candidate.

 

The decision also marks a significant moment in the political career of the young Shia leader, who emerged as one of the prominent voices from the Kashmir Valley after his victory from the Srinagar parliamentary constituency.

 

For Ruhullah, the November 3 resignation is therefore not merely a break with a political party but a return to the people whose mandate, he believes, gives him the right to question decisions taken by the organisation.

 

The move is likely to deepen the debate within the NC over dissent, party discipline and the extent to which elected representatives can independently pursue issues on which they sought votes.

 

Farooq Abdullah, meanwhile, has maintained that differences are natural within political organisations but has criticised Ruhullah's present course as the “wrong path”.

 

The NC president has also stressed the importance of party discipline, particularly during elections, arguing that workers cannot be expected to campaign against candidates officially nominated by the organisation.

 

Ruhullah's resignation will leave the political relationship between one of the Valley's influential religious and political families and the Abdullah-led NC at its most difficult point in years.

 

His decision to choose the death anniversary of his father to formally leave the party adds an emotional layer to an already bitter political dispute — one that is now set to be taken directly to the people.

 

The coming months are expected to determine whether Ruhullah's appeal can translate into another electoral mandate, and whether his decision will mark the beginning of an independent political journey or a wider realignment in Kashmir politics.(KNS).