Return of the Old Guard: National Conference Veteran Farooq Abdullah makes a surprise comeback to the political arena amid rising factionalism and polarization of the valley’s politics

NATIONAL CONFERENCE (NC) VETERAN, FAROOQ ABDULLAH, has staged a comeback in the political affairs of the state, amid the intensifying stand-off between the MLAs of the ruling NC and its Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah.

Around 17 MLAs of the ruling party are in stiff opposition with Omar Abdullah — which had been brewing for sometime — and took a concrete shape on October 27, 2026, after the reshuffling of the Chief Minister’s cabinet. 

The internal factionalism protruded to the foreground when three senior party leaders publicly expressed their dissatisfaction over not being included in the newly-shuffled cabinet. However, this was just tip of the iceberg, as other aggrieved legislators held a meeting in the absence of Omar Abdullah, set a charter of demands, and submitted it to the party’s leadership. 

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This rising factionalism is detrimental to the health of NC’s government in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which has been mired with political vulnerabilities, alongside the strategic concerns it embodies.

To put a check on these lacunas, the veteran party patriarch has brought himself back, and organized a meeting with the aggrieved legislators — which has, for now, presented an optimistic imagery for the unity among the National Conference members.

The meeting was held on Friday, November 6, 2026, which was presided by Dr. Farooq Abdullah, and upheld the struggle for restoring Articles 370 and 35A.

What is the issue in the National Conference?

There have been voices of dissent that claimed the inaccessibility of Omar Abdullah, alongside the nullification of the long-held agenda on struggling for the restoration of Article 370 and Article 35A in Jammu and Kashmir. Till now, there was a subtle criticism from among the party’s legislators, who were not happy with the growing centralization of decision-making within the party by Omar Abdullah and his confidants. 

These differences have been brewing for some time now, and ultimately took a concrete shape with the leaders publicly expressing their dissent, last month, in October. The meeting on October 27, 2026, — which did not include either of the Abdullah’s — concretized a set of demands, and submitted it to the party leadership.

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This included intensifying the struggle for restoring the special status and statehood of Jammu and Kashmir, removal of Nasir Aslam Wani as the CM’s advisor, and reassigning the ministry of Roads and Buildings held by Deputy CM Surinder Choudhary. 

There are 42 legislators of the NC in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, and support of eight other MLAs, of which 17 of its own, dissented.

Dr Farooq Abdullah seeks to take the center-stage

In a surprise comeback, the 89-year-old party veteran, Dr. Farooq Abdullah has taken a centreplace within the party’s functioning. He went on to organize a meeting with the dissenting legislators on November 6, 2026, and announced that the struggle for Statehood, Articles 370 and 35A will continue.

The 89-year-old patriarch had waned away from being a central figure in both the politics of Jammu and Kashmir as well as the National Conference Party, since Omar Abdullah took over as the Chief Minister in 2009. This trend continued for later as well, when Dr. Farooq Abdullah was kept out of the Cabinet as well as the government in 2024 — when the National Conference came to power in 2024. 

Subsequently, Omar Abdullah formed a circle of confidants where Nasir Aslam Wani, Shammi Oberoi, and Tanvir Sadiq played an important role. Oberoi was the first-ever Sikh to be sent to the Rajya Sabha from the UT, and Tanvir Sadiq is an MLA and party spokesperson.

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However, it is the emerging dynamic between Omar and Farooq that is presenting a new angle in the Valley’s politics. Now, after a long period of hibernation, the old guard is back. He has held a meeting with the dissenters of his son’s party management ways, called their issues to be “genuine”, and is actively making statements that hold great significance for the politics of the valley as well as for strategic diplomacy at a cross-border level. 

Attending a gathering of mediapersons, Dr Farooq Abdullah, unequivocally stated that the instances of terrorism have not ceased in the valley, but there is no reason to be afraid, as Kashmir was, is, and will be an integral part of India. He also pointed his sharp criticisms at the central government for claiming to have established peace and tranquility after the special status abrogation. 

Additionally, he also gave a clarion for a dialogue between India and Pakistan, as the impending threats of terrorism continue to ransack the lives in the valley, while speaking to the media on Thursday, November 12, 2026. 

This clearly indicates that Farooq Abdullah isn’t merely acting as an arbitrator of the internal-party factionalism.They are hinting towards his role in the politics of the valley in the coming days.  

[OG/AR]

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