Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi: Resignation accepted, seat vacant

The Speaker of the Lok Sabha has accepted Srinagar MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi’s resignation with effect from 3 November 2026, according to a Lok Sabha Secretariat notification dated 5 November. The notification records his departure from the parliamentary seat representing Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir.

Published in the Gazette of India as S.O. 6067(E), the notification was signed by Lok Sabha Secretary General Utpal Kumar Singh. It states that Mehdi resigned his seat and that the Speaker accepted the resignation. The effective date therefore precedes the notification’s publication by two days.

Greater Kashmir, in a report carrying the KNS credit on 6 November, identified the Speaker as Om Birla and reported that the Srinagar parliamentary seat had fallen vacant. The Secretariat’s notification establishes the acceptance of the resignation, rather than merely an announcement of an intention to leave Parliament.

The formal acceptance follows Mehdi’s public announcement that he was leaving both the National Conference and the Lok Sabha. Greater Kashmir reported that he announced those decisions at a gathering in Budgam on 3 November. His departure from the party and his resignation from Parliament are distinct developments; the Gazette notification addresses only his Lok Sabha seat.

What the notification establishes

The Secretariat’s brief notification identifies Mehdi as the elected member from the Srinagar parliamentary constituency and specifies when the Speaker’s acceptance took effect. It does not set out his reasons for resigning, reproduce his resignation letter or describe the process through which the Speaker considered it.

The Statesman reported that Mehdi’s letter to Birla cited Article 101(3)(b) of the Constitution and Rule 240 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Lok Sabha as the provisions under which he submitted his resignation. According to that report, he described the resignation as voluntary, sought its acceptance and requested immediate effect.

The Statesman’s account describes the terms of Mehdi’s request. The operative outcome is recorded separately in the Secretariat’s notification: the Speaker accepted his resignation from the seat. The notification contains no finding on the political accusations Mehdi made against his former party.

Greater Kashmir reported that Mehdi had won Srinagar on a National Conference ticket in the 2024 general election and entered the 18th Lok Sabha. Before serving in Parliament, he represented Budgam in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly and held a ministerial position in the former state government, the publication reported.

Dispute over the National Conference’s commitments

Mehdi attributed his decision to disagreements over the National Conference’s electoral commitments, according to Greater Kashmir and The New Indian Express. Both publications reported his accusation that the leadership had moved away from its promise to pursue the restoration of Article 370, the provision associated with Jammu and Kashmir’s former special constitutional status.

The New Indian Express reported that Mehdi accused Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the party leadership of failing to honour the mandate they received in the 2024 Assembly election. He alleged that promises concerning constitutional rights had given way to a focus on retaining power and ministerial positions. These were Mehdi’s allegations, not conclusions reached by the Speaker or the Secretariat.

His criticism also covered employment, reservation policy and household benefits. According to The New Indian Express, he alleged failures to fulfil promises of one lakh jobs, a balanced reservation policy, 200 units of free electricity and 12 free LPG cylinders annually. The report presents these as the commitments Mehdi invoked in explaining his departure, rather than an independently assessed account of their implementation.

News18’s account of the dispute reported that Mehdi had challenged the party’s emphasis on restoring statehood, arguing that it was not a substitute for restoring constitutional protections. The publication also reported that National Conference president Farooq Abdullah had challenged him to resign his Lok Sabha seat and contest another election.

That exchange provides context for the resignation, but not a detailed party response to each allegation raised at the Budgam gathering. The Secretariat’s notification does not address the disagreement over the National Conference’s programme or assess either side’s position.

The New Indian Express further reported that Mehdi questioned Omar Abdullah’s approach towards the Centre, including whether he had used Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visits to raise demands concerning Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional rights.

On his own political plans, Mehdi said that leaving the National Conference did not mean he would join another party, according to The New Indian Express. He instead spoke of bringing dedicated young people from Jammu and Kashmir together on a common platform. The report records that stated intention, not the formation of a new organisation.

The Secretariat’s 5 November notification contains no timetable for an election to fill the Srinagar vacancy and does not name a successor.