The National Conference-Congress alliance is all set to form a government in the union territory Jammu and Kashmir after crossing the majority mark of 46 seats. The Farooq Abdullah led National Conference secured 42 seats, while the Congress won 6 seats. The BJP was able to win 29 seats in the UT, while the Mehbooba Mufti led People’s Democratic Party secured only 3 seats.
These assembly elections were held in Jammu and Kashmir after a hiatus of 10 years, and for the first time since Article 370 was abrogated. Unlike Haryana, exit polls projected the victory of the National Conference correctly in the case of J&K.
Omar Abdullah is set to become the CM of J&K, who has said that there was no chance of getting Article 370 back, and that it would be foolish to think otherwise. Abdullah stated in an interview, “This government will be as much a government for those who voted for BJP as much as for those who voted for NC and Congress.” His statement emerges as a striking contrast to the jibes exacted by BJP workers after the poor performance of the BJP in the 2024 national elections when they were seen commenting that only those who voted for the BJP would get vikas.
While the BJP lost the assembly polls, it was able to secure some victories in Jammu’s constituencies, which is the Hindu heartland of the UT. The dominance of the National Conference in J&K’s assembly polls traces back to 1948 when Sheikh Abdullah dominated the polls singlehandedly. Sheikh Abdullah had flippant opinions on J&K’s accession to India, and he frequently shifted sides during his tenure as prime minister of J&K. Despite what his political opinions might have been, he has always been the voice of the Kashmiris. He was a force that the Kashmiris reckoned with, and that is made evident from the election of his grandson as chief minister of the UT.
