J&K: Big win for NC, Cong rides on NC’s back
NEW DELHI: The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is all set to witness a government led by the National Conference-Congress alliance, as the coalition secured 49 out of 90 seats after the election results were announced on Tuesday.
This was the first Assembly election in the past 10 years and the first since the BJP government revoked the state’s special status under Article 370 in August 2019, when the Narendra Modi administration bifurcated J&K into the two Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The BJP registered its best-ever performance in the J&K election history by winning 29 seats, all in the Jammu region.
The National Conference won 42 of the 49 alliance seats, a significant increase from the 15 seats it secured in 2014. The Congress, on the other hand, managed to win only six seats, down from 12 in 2014, with just one seat in the Jammu region, marking its worst-ever electoral performance in the territory.
In Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP’s hopes of influencing the government formation were dashed despite its record tally of 29 seats, as the NC-Congress alliance secured a majority on its own.
However, the BJP’s strong performance highlighted its continued dominance in its core areas within the Union Territory, with the Congress failing to mount a significant challenge in the Jammu region. The BJP expanded its footprint in its stronghold, though it failed to win any seats in the Kashmir Valley, where it contested 19 seats. The BJP’s overall tally increased from 25 in 2014 to 29. Meanwhile, the NC’s strong showing further diminished the presence of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Mehbooba Mufti, which was reduced to its lowest tally ever.
Smaller parties and Independents also failed to make a significant impact, winning only two seats in the Valley. These included candidates supported by Jamaat-e-Islami and Engineer Rashid’s Awami Ittehad Party (AIP).
The new government will face the challenge of providing adequate representation to the Jammu region.
The Jammu and Kashmir elections also saw Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party opening its account, a notable achievement for a party primarily known for its presence in Delhi and Punjab.
It was widely believed that smaller parties and Independents in Jammu and Kashmir would play a key role in government formation. However, these “kingmaker” parties fell short of expectations, as seen with Engineer Rashid’s Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) and Sajad Lone’s People’s Conference, which were unable to pose a challenge to the national parties.
