Jammu Kashmir Elections 2024

The last Jammu & Kashmir Assembly elections were held in 2014. The People's Democratic Party (PDP), led by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, emerged as the largest party and eventually formed a coalition government with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Since 2018, the state has been under President's Rule, following the dissolution of the assembly after the PDP-BJP coalition government collapsed.

The state was bifurcated into two Union Territories—Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh—in August 2019, after the abrogation of Article 370. Since then, assembly elections have not been held.

In the 2014 Jammu & Kashmir Assembly elections, the distribution of seats among major parties was as follows:

-People's Democratic Party (PDP): 28 seats

-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP): 25 seats

-Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (NC): 15 seats

-Indian National Congress (INC): 12 seats

-Others and Independents: 7 seats

The total number of seats in the Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly was 87.

The 2014 Jammu & Kashmir Assembly elections featured several key candidates from different political parties. Some of the prominent ones were:

- Mufti Mohammad Sayeed (PDP) – He was the leader of the People's Democratic Party and later became the Chief Minister after the elections. He contested from the Anantnag constituency.

-Omar Abdullah (NC) – The incumbent Chief Minister at the time and leader of the National Conference. He contested from the Beerwah and Sonawar constituencies.

- Nirmal Singh (BJP) – A key leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, who contested from the Billawar constituency and later became the Deputy Chief Minister in the PDP-BJP coalition government.

- Ghulam Ahmad Mir (INC) – The state president of the Congress party and a significant candidate, he contested from the Dooru constituency.

- Sajad Lone (People’s Conference) – He contested from the Handwara constituency and won. Although his party won only two seats, he played an important role in the post-election government formation talks.

Since the last Jammu & Kashmir Assembly elections in 2014, the political situation in the region has undergone significant changes:

1. PDP-BJP Coalition and Collapse (2014–2018): After the 2014 elections, a coalition government was formed between the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Mufti Mohammad Sayeed became Chief Minister, and after his death in 2016, Mehbooba Mufti took over.

The alliance was always considered uneasy due to ideological differences between the PDP and BJP. In June 2018, the BJP withdrew support, causing the collapse of the government and imposition of Governor’s Rule, followed by President’s Rule later that year.

2. Abrogation of Article 370 (2019): On August 5, 2019, the Government of India abrogated Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which had granted special status to Jammu & Kashmir.

The state of Jammu & Kashmir was bifurcated into two Union Territories: Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

3. Political Detentions and Release:Following the abrogation of Article 370, many prominent political leaders, including Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah, and Farooq Abdullah, were detained for several months under the Public Safety Act (PSA). They were released in 2020.

4.Formation of Gupkar Alliance (2020): Several mainstream political parties, including the National Conference (NC), PDP, People's Conference, and others, formed the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD). Their primary aim is to restore Article 370 and the special status of Jammu & Kashmir.

5.Delimitation Commission (2021–2022): A Delimitation Commission was set up to redraw the boundaries of assembly constituencies. The Commission proposed increasing the number of seats in the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly from 83 to 90. The reallocation has sparked debates about fairness, with some alleging that the changes favour the Jammu region over the Kashmir Valley.