Home minister Amit Shah’s recent visit to Jammu to inspect flood damage has once again highlighted the sidelining of chief minister Omar Abdullah, whose presence was noticeably diminished during the event.

Photographs showing Shah at the forefront, with Omar standing in the background behind officials and security personnel, have sparked online criticism.

This comes after Omar was reportedly denied entry into the main sanctum of the Hazratbal shrine, allegedly due to obstacles put up by the waqf board led by a BJP leader. The incident raised concerns about Omar's declining influence in the region.

"Doomed is the future of a state where the leader of the Opposition is being given more importance than the democratically elected chief minister. Very painful picture," Shreya Langeh, who calls herself a Jammu Dogra, wrote on X.

PDP youth general secretary Guftar Ahmad Choudhary called it an "insult to the brute mandate" given to Omar in last year’s election.

"Massive breach of trust by Union govt with the people of J&K. An elected CM is facing so much humiliation, imagine the condition of the common man," Choudhary posted.

Shah was in Jammu on Monday to inspect damage caused by the floods and landslides, which left dozens dead or missing and scores injured.

A video showed Omar receiving Shah at Jammu's Tawi bridge, but he quietly moved out as the home minister was encircled by lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha, BJP leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, chief secretary Atal Dulloo, other bureaucrats and security personnel.