Safina Baig joins NC in Srinagar, bolstering Farooq Abdullah's Baramulla base
Synopsis
Safina Baig, former DDC Baramulla chairperson and wife of PDP co-founder Muzaffar Hussain Baig, has joined the National Conference — a move that deepens the NC's dominance in a district where it already won 6 of 7 Assembly seats in 2024 and signals further erosion of the PDP's political footprint in Kashmir.
Key Takeaways
Safina Baig , former DDC Baramulla Chairperson, joined the National Conference in Srinagar on 8 July .
She joined in the presence of NC President Dr Farooq Abdullah and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah .
The NC won 6 out of 7 Assembly seats in Baramulla district in the 2024 elections .
Her husband, Muzaffar Hussain Baig , is a co-founder of the PDP , a Padma Bhushan awardee ( 2020 ), and a Harvard Law School alumnus.
Muzaffar Baig served as Deputy CM under the PDP-Congress coalition and won the 2014 Lok Sabha seat from Baramulla.
Safina Baig, former Chairperson of the District Development Council (DDC) Baramulla and wife of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) co-founder Muzaffar Hussain Baig, joined the National Conference (NC) at the party's headquarters in Srinagar on Wednesday, 8 July. Her entry into the NC is widely seen as a significant political boost for the party in Baramulla district, where it already commands a dominant position.
The Joining Ceremony
Safina Baig arrived at the NC headquarters accompanied by a contingent of supporters. She was formally inducted into the party in the presence of NC President Dr Farooq Abdullah, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Minister for Rural Development Javid Ahmad Dar, and senior leaders Ali Muhammad Sagar and Choudhary Muhammad Ramzan, among others.
Why This Matters for NC in Baramulla
The NC's grip on Baramulla is already considerable — the party won 6 out of 7 Assembly seats in the district during the 2024 Assembly elections. Safina Baig's induction is expected to consolidate that hold further, particularly given the political weight her family name carries in the region. This comes amid a broader trend of political realignment in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
The Baig Political Legacy
Muzaffar Hussain Baig, Safina's husband, is one of the founding figures of the PDP and served as Deputy Chief Minister during the PDP-Congress coalition government headed by Ghulam Nabi Azad. He won the 2002 and 2008 Assembly elections from Baramulla and the 2014 Lok Sabha election from the Baramulla Parliamentary constituency. A legal luminary who studied at Harvard Law School, Muzaffar Baig was conferred the Padma Bhushan in 2020 and previously served as Advocate General of Jammu and Kashmir from 1987 to 1989.
Though he has distanced himself from active politics in recent years, Muzaffar Baig remains an influential voice in both legal and political circles. Notably, reports had previously suggested he may have joined Sajad Lone's Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference (JKPC) following his falling out with Mehbooba Mufti over Article 370's abrogation — but the JKPC's general secretary Imran Ansari publicly stated that Baig never joined the party.
What Comes Next
Safina Baig's move signals a consolidation of political capital around the NC ahead of any future electoral contests in the region. With the PDP continuing to struggle for relevance in post-370 Kashmir, defections from its orbit — direct or familial — are likely to keep reshaping the Valley's political landscape in the NC's favour.
Point of View
And the NC is the primary beneficiary. With 6 of 7 Baramulla seats already in its column, the NC is not just winning elections here — it is absorbing the social capital of rival formations. The real story is what Muzaffar Hussain Baig's continued political ambiguity signals: a figure of his stature remaining unaffiliated is itself a statement, and his wife's move to the NC could be the first step in a fuller realignment. For the PDP, losing familial proximity to one of its own founders is a reputational blow that numbers alone do not capture.
NationPress
8 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Safina Baig and why is her joining the NC significant?
Safina Baig is the former Chairperson of the District Development Council Baramulla and wife of PDP co-founder Muzaffar Hussain Baig. Her joining the National Conference on 8 July is significant because it strengthens the NC's already dominant position in Baramulla, where the party won 6 of 7 Assembly seats in 2024.
Who was present at Safina Baig's NC joining ceremony?
NC President Dr Farooq Abdullah, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Minister for Rural Development Javid Ahmad Dar, and senior leaders Ali Muhammad Sagar and Choudhary Muhammad Ramzan were present at the ceremony held at the NC headquarters in Srinagar.
Who is Muzaffar Hussain Baig?
Muzaffar Hussain Baig is a co-founder of the Peoples Democratic Party and a Harvard Law School-trained lawyer who was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2020. He served as Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir under the PDP-Congress coalition and won the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Baramulla.
Did Muzaffar Hussain Baig join the Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference?
No. Although reports had suggested Muzaffar Hussain Baig may have joined Sajad Lone's Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference following his differences with Mehbooba Mufti over the abrogation of Article 370, the JKPC's general secretary Imran Ansari publicly stated that Baig never joined the party.
How has the National Conference performed in Baramulla in recent elections?
The National Conference won 6 out of 7 Assembly seats in Baramulla district in the 2024 Assembly elections, making it the dominant political force in the region. Safina Baig's joining is expected to further consolidate that position.
