SRINAGAR — Former Minister and Vice President of the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party, Usman Majid, has indicated his departure from the party led by Altaf Bukhari.
According to the Srinagar-based news gathering agency KDC, this development is evident due to changes made in his social media profiles, where references to the Apni Party have been conspicuously removed.
Moreover, a press release issued on Monday by Majid's office, titled "Political workers from different political parties join forces with former minister Usman Majid in Bandipora," notably omitted any mention of the Apni Party, further hinting at his imminent exit.
Majid, a two-time MLA from the Bandipora assembly segment and former Minister of Planning & Development in J&K, has a long-standing political history, previously aligned with the Congress before joining the Apni Party.
Sources close to the matter revealed ongoing discussions between Majid and the Congress high command over the past weeks, indicating a probable reunion with his former party.
The potential return to Congress, along with associates like Imtiyaz Parray from the Sonawari assembly segment, is a huge setback for the Apni Party, founded by Altaf Bukhari, a former minister in the PDP-BJP government.
Majid's exit comes at a critical juncture as Jammu and Kashmir prepares for upcoming assembly elections, the first since its transition to a Union Territory and the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
Political analysts view Majid’s departure as part of a larger trend where leaders disillusioned with recent electoral performances are reassessing their political affiliations. Earlier instances include Khursheed Alam’s exit from Sajad Lone’s Peoples Conference to rejoin PDP, pointing to a broader realignment within the region’s political turf. Also, former J&K minister Syed Basharat Bukhari rejoined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) this month.
This post first appeared on The Kashmir Pulse
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