Doda, June 14 – Mehraj Malik, Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Doda, on Saturday announced his decision to withdraw support from the ruling National Conference (NC), citing the party’s alleged proximity to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and failure to deliver on governance in the nine months since the coalition assumed office.
The announcement was made through a formal statement shared on Malik’s social media platforms. “I, Mehraj Malik, MLA from Doda, hereby withdraw my support to NC in the government coalition. This decision has been taken in the best interest of my people of Jammu and Kashmir, whose trust and welfare will always be my top priority,” the statement read.
Later in the evening, Malik went live on social media in a 14-minute address, during which he levelled strong criticism at the NC leadership. He accused the party of forging covert ties with the BJP and its senior leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. “In nine months, no work has been done. I only received my salary and couldn’t do anything,” Malik said in the livestream aired at 9 p.m.
The withdrawal marks a significant political development in Jammu and Kashmir’s Chenab Valley region, where the National Conference has traditionally held sway. Malik’s criticism of the administration has been steadily intensifying in recent days.
On June 12, the legislator took to X (formerly Twitter), questioning the government’s ability to function within the Union Territory framework. “Nine months have passed, enough of the statehood vs. UT excuses. It’s time for the Govt to act. If they can’t deliver in a UT, they should take tuition from Arvind Kejriwal ji on how to govern and serve the public,” he wrote.
A day later, on June 13, Malik posted a video interview of NC leader and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, juxtaposing it with praise for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s governance model. “If we bow down to dictators and start praising, we can’t run a UT,” he noted, calling on the leadership to either perform or protest for restoration of statehood.
Later that same day, in a follow-up post hinting at imminent political shifts, Malik stated, “Will be taking a big decision in upcoming days. Time to be accountable. Time to act.”
The final decision came on June 14, with Malik’s declaration of withdrawal. In a now-deleted Facebook post made shortly thereafter, Malik shared a screenshot of the announcement accompanied by a audio-dialogue from the film Pushpa: “Apun Pehly Hi Bola Tha, Pura syndicate pe Pushpa raaj karega.” Though the post was later removed, it has been widely interpreted as a signal of the MLA’s intent to emerge as a more prominent political figure in the region, The Chenab Times noted.
Neither the National Conference nor Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has issued an official response at the time of filing this report.
Malik’s departure, while not immediately altering the numbers in the Legislative Assembly, is expected to have political ramifications in the Chenab region, particularly as local leaders and parties recalibrate their positions ahead of anticipated electoral alignments.
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Anzer Ayoob is the Founder and Chief Editor to The Chenab Times
