BJP predicts NC split after cabinet expansion, says ‘storm’ will hit by November 3

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday predicted a major internal crisis in the National Conference (NC), claiming that growing discontent following the latest cabinet expansion could trigger a wave of dissent and lead to several leaders leaving the party in the coming days. BJP chief spokesperson Altaf Thakur said signs of unrest had already emerged following the cabinet expansion, alleging that several party workers, MLAs and leaders were unhappy with the distribution of ministerial berths and the lack of representation for certain regions and districts.

“The stir has already started since yesterday. Whether they are National Conference workers or MLAs, it has started since yesterday,” Thakur said, asserting that the NC was heading towards an internal split. He maintained that the BJP was not responsible for the alleged crisis within the ruling party, claiming that the National Conference was creating divisions within its own ranks.

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“It is not the Bharatiya Janata Party that broke the National Conference; the National Conference itself broke the National Conference. Take this as certain,” he said. Thakur's remarks came amid growing political debate over the cabinet expansion and the disappointment among sections of the NC leadership and workers who had expected greater representation in the government.

Pointing to what he described as regional grievances, the BJP spokesperson said several districts that had contributed significantly to the NC's electoral success had not received adequate representation in the ministry. “We feel the pain of the people of Kashmir who gave us their mandate, who had expectations,” he said, adding that even his own district had been left without representation in the ministry.

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He also criticised what he termed the NC's “kitchen cabinet model”, arguing that the concentration of decision-making within a limited circle would fail to address the concerns of party workers and elected representatives.

“Nothing is going to come out of this kitchen cabinet,” Thakur said. However, Thakur insisted that the developments following the cabinet expansion were only the beginning of a larger political upheaval within the NC. “You saw that the storm has started,” he said, predicting that the coming days would bring further turbulence within the party.

Referring to November 3, Thakur said the political developments would gather momentum by that date, warning that the alleged discontent could sweep away sections of the party's leadership and cadre. “This storm, in the form of a gale, will carry things away by the 3rd of November,” he said, reiterating his claim that the NC's internal divisions could ultimately weaken the party.