Taj Mohiuddin, G.M. Saroori Return to Congress After Brief DPAP Stint
Former Ministers Rejoin Party in Srinagar, Greeted by AICC and J&K Leadership
Both Leaders Had Quit Congress in 2022 to Join Azad’s DPAP
Saroori, Mohiuddin Failed to Win as Independents After Leaving Azad Camp
AICC’s Naseer Hussain Calls Return of Senior Leaders a Happy Moment
Srinagar, June 27, KNT: In a notable political development ahead of crucial electoral cycles in Jammu and Kashmir, two former ministers — Taj Mohiuddin and Ghulam Mohammad Saroori — formally rejoined the Congress party on Friday after ending their brief association with the Ghulam Nabi Azad-led Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP).
The return of the veteran leaders was marked at the Congress party office in Srinagar, where they were warmly welcomed by All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in charge of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh Naseer Hussain, UT Congress chief Tariq Hamid Karra, and several senior leaders of the party.
Taj Mohiuddin, a seasoned politician and former legislator from the Uri Assembly segment in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, had resigned from the Congress in August 2022 to join Azad after the veteran leader broke away and formed the DPAP. However, Mohiuddin later left DPAP in August 2024 and contested last year’s Assembly elections as an Independent — a bid that proved unsuccessful.
Ghulam Mohammad Saroori, another influential leader and a former MLA from Inderwal, had also quit the Congress in the same month to join Azad’s camp. However, after being denied a DPAP mandate to contest from his home constituency, Saroori left the party and unsuccessfully contested as an Independent.
Speaking to reporters, AICC’s Naseer Hussain said, “It is a matter of happiness for the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir. Those who had parted ways for one reason or another have returned. They are senior leaders who have held positions as MLAs and Ministers.”
Taj Mohiuddin, while addressing the gathering, struck a reconciliatory tone, saying, “I don’t feel like I had ever left the party. I’ve been in the Congress for 40 years — it feels like I was just on leave. I’m thankful to the leadership for forgiving my mistake.”
The return of Mohiuddin and Saroori comes at a time when the Congress is working to re-strengthen its cadre and reposition itself as a viable political force in Jammu and Kashmir after a period of defections and fragmentation within its regional leadership.
