Srinagar, Nov 27 (KNO): The ruling National Conference (NC) is set to hold a crucial two-day meeting of its Central Working Committee (CWC) in Srinagar from Thursday.
Sources said that the meeting will be chaired by NC president Dr. Farooq Abdullah at the party headquarters, Nawa-i-Subah.
The meeting is also expected to be attended by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is NC’s vice-president, along with all cabinet ministers, Members of Parliament, MLAs, and senior functionaries of the party.
All eyes will be on whether NC’s estranged MP Aga Ruhullah chooses to participate in the meeting. Ruhullah has been at odds with the party leadership over a gamut of issues and had stayed away from campaigning for the party in the Budgam assembly segment- a move many believe contributed to NC’s defeat there.
While Ruhullah did not himself support any candidate, his loyalists are understood to have voted for PDP candidate Aga Muntazir Mehdi.
Sources said the meeting is expected to primarily focus on the recent defeat of NC candidates in the by-polls, especially in Budgam-considered a bastion of the party. In Budgam, PDP’s Aga Muntazir Mehdi, who was also supported by Peoples Conference’s Imran Reza Ansari and PDF’s Hakim Muhammad Yasin, defeated NC’s Aga Syed Mehmood by a margin of 4,478 votes.
Sources disclosed that the meeting is likely to also assess the performance of the NC-led government as well as the fulfilment of electoral promises.
It is pertinent to mention that Omar Abdullah had earlier claimed he would go for an expansion of the cabinet after the by-polls. The Chief Minister can induct three more ministers, as the permissible strength of the cabinet in J&K is nine—(KNO)
