The Election Commission of India (ECI) last month announced elections in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The elections will take place in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, 2024. The results are set to be declared on October 8, coinciding with the Haryana Assembly election results. This election marks the first in the region since the abrogation of Article 370, which revoked its special status, effectively suspending political activity for five years.
The last Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir took place in 2014. However, the government collapsed in 2018 when the BJP withdrew its support from Mehbooba Mufti’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led coalition. The District Development Council (DDC) elections were subsequently held in late 2020. In the earlier Lok Sabha elections this year, Jammu and Kashmir witnessed a significant voter turnout of 58.46%, the highest in 35 years.
Jammu and Kashmir now has 90 Assembly constituencies. The BJP has opted to contest the elections independently, while the National Conference (NC) and Congress have formed an alliance. NC will contest 51 seats, Congress 32 seats, and there will be “friendly contests” in five constituencies. Additionally, the CPI(M) has been allocated one seat in South Kashmir, while the Panthers Party has one seat in the Jammu division.
Parties contesting the elections
1. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP):
The BJP aims to gain a foothold in India’s only Muslim-majority legislature, having already announced 45 candidates for the 90 available seats. While it remains uncertain whether the BJP will contest all seats, no alliances have been declared so far. After the revocation of Article 370, the BJP has been active in local elections but did not participate in the Lok Sabha elections. It has instead supported various independent candidates and local parties that align with its views on the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.
During the 2020 DDC elections, the BJP emerged as the largest party, securing 75 of the 280 seats, including six councils in Jammu, though none in Kashmir. In the Lok Sabha elections, despite the inability of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) to present a united opposition, the BJP’s strategy of focusing on Ladakh, Udhampur, and Jammu yielded success. The party won both Jammu seats, while an independent candidate, Mohmad Haneefa, secured Ladakh, leaving Congress without any wins.
For the Assembly Elections, the BJP initially fielded 44 candidates, including Muslim candidates from the Pir Panjal valley. However, after concerns were raised by party workers about “turncoats” being favored over loyal members, the party replaced Rohit Dubey with Baldev Raj Sharma for the Vaishno Devi seat.
2. NC & Congress alliance (INDI Alliance)
Following the release of key leaders in 2020, Congress’ J&K Chief Taj Mohiudin attended a meeting of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) at NC leader Farooq Abdullah’s residence, leading to the formation of an alliance among six political parties. These included NC, PDP, PC, Congress, CPI(M), and the Awami National Conference (ANC), with the goal of restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s special status. Initially, Congress distanced itself from PAGD but later joined the alliance for electoral purposes, contributing to their success in the DDC elections, where the coalition won 110 of 280 seats.
Congress formalized its alliance under the INDIA umbrella in July 2023, bringing together NC, PDP, and CPI(M). Despite earlier criticism from NC and PDP about Congress’ focus on other state elections, they eventually agreed to a seat-sharing arrangement on August 27, where NC would contest 51 seats, Congress 32, and CPI(M) and the Panthers Party would each receive one seat.
NC’s manifesto pledges to restore Articles 370 and 35A, reinstate statehood, reverse post-2019 laws, ensure employment for all residents, release political prisoners, promote dialogue between India and Pakistan, restrict land ownership to residents, and repeal the Public Safety Act (PSA). The first list of candidates includes Omar Abdullah, contesting from Ganderbal, despite his earlier decision not to run until statehood was restored.
The Congress party has announced its list of candidates for the upcoming elections. Among them are Ghulam Ahmad Mir, contesting from Dooru, and former state unit chief Vikar Rasool Wani from Banihal. After the exit of its prominent leader Ghulam Nabi Azad from Jammu & Kashmir, the Congress is looking to Rahul Gandhi for support. During his recent trip to Srinagar, Gandhi highlighted the need to restore Jammu & Kashmir’s statehood, mentioning that it was impractical for Delhi to control the region directly.
Read More: J&K Assembly Elections 2024: Key Candidates and the Challenges for BJP & Congress
3. PDP’s External Support
Although the PDP has exited the INDI alliance, Mehbooba Mufti expressed conditional support, contingent on the alliance adopting the PDP’s agenda. The party’s manifesto closely resembles that of the NC, advocating for the restoration of statehood, dialogue between India and Pakistan, improved connectivity across the Line of Control for trade and social interaction, the repeal of the PSA, and a review of certain job dismissals considered unjust. It also includes a commitment to overturn central laws such as the UAPA, AFSPA, and Enemy Act.
Despite backing the INDIA coalition, the PDP has put forward candidates, some of whom will be in direct competition with NC candidates. Mufti has opted not to run from Anantnag, with her daughter Iltija making her electoral debut from the Bijbehara constituency. The PDP has rejected any potential alliance with the BJP, criticizing the Congress-NC partnership as being primarily motivated by a quest for power.
4. PC, DPAP, and Apni Party
Three other significant parties in the election include Sajjad Lone’s J&K People’s Conference (PC), Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), and Altaf Bukhari’s J&K Apni Party. Lone left the PAGD in 2021, citing the NC-PDP rivalry as a reason, and accused his party of being sidelined during the seat-sharing discussions for the DDC polls. In this year’s Lok Sabha elections, Lone ran against Abdullah in the Baramulla seat, significantly reducing NC’s vote share, which contributed to Rashid’s win.
Azad, after leaving Congress in 2022 due to disagreements over its revival efforts, formed the DPAP to contest in Jammu & Kashmir politics. Acknowledging the region’s changed status post the revocation of special status, he campaigned in the Lok Sabha elections on statehood, development, and criticism of Abdullah and Mufti’s politics. Although the party didn’t secure any seats, garnering only 80,264 votes across three constituencies, DPAP has fielded candidates in the assembly elections.
Altaf Bukhari, one of the few J&K politicians not detained in 2019, formed the J&K Apni Party after splitting from the PDP with 30 other leaders. His party’s key demands are the restoration of statehood, the reestablishment of J&K’s domicile rights, and extending Article 371 of the Constitution to the region. The party performed well in the DDC polls, winning 12 seats, and has fielded 24 candidates for the assembly elections, with Bukhari running for the Chanapora seat.
5. Other Parties in the Race
Smaller parties, such as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), remnants of the J&K People’s Movement (JKPM), and several independent candidates, including those from the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), are also participating in the elections.
Importance of the J&K Assembly Elections
These assembly elections are the first since Jammu & Kashmir was bifurcated into two Union Territories and its special status revoked. The Election Commission of India (ECI) conducted a delimitation process in 2022, designating 43 seats for the Jammu region and 47 for the Kashmir Valley. Nine additional seats—three in Kashmir and six in Jammu—have been reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST).
In 2023, Parliament passed bills revising J&K’s reservation policies, reserving one-third of the seats for women. The Valmiki community was added to the Scheduled Caste list, while the Pahari community was included in the Scheduled Tribes list. The Pahari community, concentrated in areas like Budhal, Gulabgarh, Surankote, Rajouri, Mendhar, and Thanamandi—now reserved for STs—will also be contesting.
Also Read: Jammu-Kashmir Elections: Weighing The Worth of Article 370 on the Ground
