J&K CM Omar Abdullah marries journalist Nidhi Razdan
`SRINAGAR, Oct 31 : Amid turmoil in the ruling National Conference (NC) over a recent Cabinet reshuffle, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has begun a new chapter in his personal life by marrying journalist Nidhi Razdan.
The marriage ceremony took place in New Delhi on Friday and was attended by family members, relatives and close friends of the couple.
“A new journey began yesterday,” Omar said in a post on X, sharing pictures of the newlyweds.
“It’s done bro,” Nidi wrote on her X account.
According to sources, the marriage was solemnised under the Special Marriage Act, with family members from both sides as witnesses. It is the second marriage for both.
Omar, 56, has two sons, Zahir Abdullah and Zamir Abdullah, from his first marriage to Payal Abdullah. In July this year, the Supreme Court granted a divorce to Omar and Payal, formally dissolving their marriage after they reached a settlement.
Omar married Payal in 1994 while working at The Oberoi hotel in New Delhi. The couple later developed differences and began living separately.
For 49-year-old Nidhi, this is also her second marriage. She attended Omar’s swearing-in ceremony as the first Chief Minister of the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory in Srinagar on October 16, 2024. She also accompanied him at several official functions, triggering speculation about their relationship. Over time, she developed close ties with Omar’s family, including his father and sister.
Meanwhile, the NC is facing internal dissent following the first Cabinet reshuffle of Omar’s government on Tuesday. Four NC MLAs were inducted as ministers, while independent MLA Satish Sharma was dropped from the Council of Ministers.
The reshuffle triggered resentment among party leaders. At least 20 NC legislators, including senior leaders Mubarak Gul, a six-time MLA and former Speaker, and four-time legislators Abdul Majeed Larmi and Nazir Ahmad Gurezi, met at the residence of NC MLA Qaisar Jamshed Lone in Srinagar on Friday. They held a closed-door meeting for four hours.
Sources said the disgruntled legislators were unhappy that the Chief Minister had accommodated people close to him in the Cabinet instead of considering merit and seniority.
“Senior leaders have been ignored for no reason,” the disgruntled MLAs said.
They unanimously adopted a resolution demanding the replacement of all four ministers who had been part of the Cabinet since the formation of the Omar government, to make way for senior leaders and those left out of the reshuffle.
The resolution also sought the removal of the Chief Minister’s advisers, Nasir Aslam Wani and Shammi Oberoi, fulfilment of the party’s poll promises and a stronger stand on the restoration of Article 370, a key promise in the NC’s 2024 Assembly election manifesto.
Sources said the legislators would submit their charter of demands to party president Farooq Abdullah and decide their next course of action based on his response.
-PTI
