After resigning from Congress, Azad to float new political party in J-K

SRINAGAR — Former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who resigned from the Congress party on Friday, is all set to float a new political party in Jammu & Kashmir next month, sources said here.

Sources told the news agency KNO that Azad would launch the party in September. Azad will be launching a new political party ahead of the elections in Jammu & Kashmir.

This would be the second major new political party in Jammu and Kashmir after August 5, 2019. In 2020, businessman-turned-politician Syed Altaf Bukhari launched a new political party – J&K Apni Party.

Notably, veteran Congress leader Azad resigned from the party today citing several reasons including the taking over of the party by Rahul Gandhi and his coteries.

Following his resignation from the party, several Congress leaders and former ministers from Jammu and Kashmir also resigned from the party in his support.

RS Chib among six Azad loyalists quit Congress in J&K

Following Ghulam Nabi Azad’s decision to quit Congress, at least six former MLAs, some of them ministers in erstwhile State government, resigned from the grand old party on Friday.

While five of them tendered a joint resignation, R S Chib submitted it separately but all of them have done it in support of Azad who was the ex-Health Minister of India, former leader of Opposition in Parliament and ex-Chief Minister of J&K.

“Over the years as a member of the Congress party, it has been my sincere endeavour to work for the betterment of my State – Jammu & Kashmir. I feel that in the prevailing circumstances, Congress party has lost its momentum in contributing towards the future of my State,” Chib, a close confidant of Azad said in the letter to party president Sonia Gandhi.

“Keeping in view the turmoil that the State of J&K has witnessed over the past decades, the people require a decisive leader like Jb. Ghulam Nabi Azad to guide them towards a better future. I feel that the Congress party has not been able to play the role that is expected of it,” reads the letter shared to media.

“I firmly believe that there is a growing divergence between my views and the views of those at the helm of the Party affairs. In light of the same, I feel that the best course of action would be for me to part ways with your Party,” he said, adding, “Accordingly, I am tendering my resignation from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress.”

Others who tendered joint resignation include GM Saroori, Choudhary Muhammad Akram, Muhammad Amin Bhat, Gulzar Ahmad and Abdur Rashid Dar.