1962 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election

1962 Jammu and Kashmir state assembly elections

←  1957 17–18 February 1962 1967  →
all 75 seats in Legislative Assembly 38 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	40.3%
First party Second party   Leader Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad Party JKNC Praja Parishad Leader since 1953 Last election 69 5 Seats won 70 3 Seat change 1 2
Prime Minister before election Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad JKNC Elected Prime Minister Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad JKNC

Elections for the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir were held in the early months of 1962. ^{[1] [2]} Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad was appointed Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. ^[3]

Background

After the 1957 elections, Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad failed to appoint any member of the G. M. Sadiq-led leftist faction to the Cabinet, leading Sadiq to form a rival Democratic National Conference party. However, in 1960, a reconciliation was brokered by the central government, and the two parties reunited. The reunited party contested the elections in 1962. ^[4] However, 20 candidates from the rump Democratic National Conference party contested the election. ^[2]

The other parties contesting the elections were the Jammu Praja Parishad, Praja Socialist Party and Harijan Mandal. ^[2]

The 1962 elections were the first elections in the state conducted by the Election Commission of India. The earlier elections were held by the State's Franchise Commissioner. ^[5]

Results

Of the 43 constituencies in the Kashmir Valley, 32 were unopposed. Overall, the National Conference won 41 of the 43 seats in the Valley. ^[6]

In the Jammu Division, the National Conference won 27 of the 30 seats (two of which were unopposed). The remaining three seats went to the Praja Parishad. ^{[7] [8]}

In the Ladakh Division, all two seats were won by the National Conference. The Ladakh seat was won by the Head Llama Kushak Bakula. ^{[9] [10]}

After the elections, the Praja Parishad held a mass demonstration in the Jammu city, joined by the Praja Socialist Party and the Akali Dal, citing electoral malpractices. Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad dismissed the complaints as "frivolous". ^[7]

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Jammu & Kashmir National Conference	486,060	66.96	70
	Jammu Praja Parishad	126,836	17.47	3
	Others	59,078	8.14	0
	Independents	53,892	7.42	2
Total		725,866	100.00	75
Valid votes		725,866	97.59
Invalid/blank votes		17,940	2.41
Total votes		743,806	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		1,843,930	40.34
Source: ECI [11]

Elected members

• Winner, runner-up, voter turnout, and victory margin in every constituency ^[12]

Assembly Constituency		Turnout	Winner					Runner Up					Margin
#k	Names	%	Candidate	Party		Votes	%	Candidate	Party		Votes	%
1	Akhnoor	65.32%	Shiv Ram		JKNC	10,156	60.83%	Sat Dev		JPP	5,204	31.17%	4,952
2	Chhamb	74.41%	Chhaju Ram Lamba		JKNC	10,142	52.85%	Sahdev Singh		JPP	6,401	33.36%	3,741
3	Ranbir Singh Pora–Jammu South	79.4%	Bhagat Chhaju Ram		JKNC	8,199	55.52%	Shiv Ram		Democratic National Conference	5,027	34.04%	3,172
4	Miran Sahib	76.03%	Kulbir Singh		JKNC	6,317	49.92%	Sant Singh		Independent	2,244	17.73%	4,073
5	Marh	75.58%	Guranditta Mal		JKNC	5,200	41.49%	Ram Rakha Mal		JPP	3,734	29.79%	1,466
6	Jandrah Gharota	65.61%	Rounaq Singh		JKNC	8,867	50.7%	Rajinder Singh		JPP	5,677	32.46%	3,190
7	Bishnah	85.04%	Trilochan Datt		JKNC	8,783	46.99%	Ram Piara Saraf		Democratic National Conference	5,768	30.86%	3,015
8	Ramgarh	71.2%	Parmanad		JKNC	5,674	34.67%	Shivdass		JPP	3,903	23.85%	1,771
9	Basohli	51.27%	Mangat Ram Sharma		JKNC	7,394	59.11%	Uttam Chand		JPP	4,459	35.65%	2,935
10	Billawar	62.89%	Ram Chander Khajuria		JKNC	7,819	49.78%	Dhian Singh		JPP	7,307	46.52%	512
11	Kathua	75.86%	Randhir Singh		JKNC	9,826	55.33%	Chagar Singh		JPP	4,642	26.14%	5,184
12	Jasmergarh	80.26%	Girdhari Lal Dogra		JKNC	13,958	58.48%	Baldev Singh		JPP	7,789	32.63%	6,169
13	Samba	73.36%	K. Sagar Singh		JKNC	7,495	43.71%	Dhyan Singh		JPP	6,727	39.23%	768
14	Jammu North	70.19%	Prem Nath		JPP	14,728	66.64%	Hardatt Bakshi		JKNC	6,966	31.52%	7,762
15	Jammu South	71.01%	Ram Chand Mahajan		JKNC	9,329	51.28%	Ram Nath		JPP	5,835	32.07%	3,494
16	Nowshera	62.44%	Beli Ram		JKNC	11,608	54.3%	Krishan Dev Sethi		Democratic National Conference	4,939	23.1%	6,669
17	Rajouri	81.6%	Abdul Aziz Shawal		JKNC	14,192	76.76%	Dev Raj		Democratic National Conference	4,297	23.24%	9,895
18	Darhal	84.32%	Mohammed Iqbal Malik		JKNC	13,601	71.02%	Adbul Rehman		PSP	5,550	28.98%	8,051
19	Mendhar	-	Pir Jamat Ali Shah		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
20	Poonch Haveli	71.34%	Ghulam Mohammad Mir		JKNC	15,148	71.14%	Ghulam Qadir Bandey		Independent	5,819	27.33%	9,329
21	Ramnagar	69.24%	Hem Raj		JKNC	11,680	62.71%	Hans Raj		JPP	6,077	32.63%	5,603
22	Udhampur	61.94%	Amar Nath Sharma		JKNC	8,003	49.6%	Paras Ram		JPP	7,815	48.44%	188
23	Landar Tikri	60.1%	Shiv Charan		JPP	7,595	47.53%	Faqir Chand		JKNC	6,929	43.36%	666
24	Reasi	72.01%	Rishi Kumar Kaushal		JPP	8,842	45.46%	Rikhi Kesh		JKNC	8,595	44.19%	247
25	Arnas	80.84%	Mohammad Ayub Khan		JKNC	21,378	95.74%	Lakhmi Chand		JPP	951	4.26%	20,427
26	Ramban	79.58%	Mir Assadullah		JKNC	18,332	83.39%	Devi Dass		PSP	2,981	13.56%	15,351
27	Doda	70.78%	Lassa Wani		JKNC	16,146	89.37%	Abdul Rehman		Independent	1,921	10.63%	14,225
28	Kishtwar	74.94%	Syed Mir Badshah		JKNC	14,988	75.93%	Sewa Ram		JPP	4,752	24.07%	10,236
29	Bhaderwah	58.56%	Chuni Lal		JKNC	11,150	71.83%	Abdul Rehman		JPP	4,372	28.17%	6,778
30	Bhalessa–Bunjwah	70.08%	Abdul Gani Goni		JKNC	13,717	89.1%	Rup Chand		JPP	1,678	10.9%	12,039
31	Anantnag	-	Shamas - Ud- Din		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
32	Kothar	-	Manohar Nath Kaul		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
33	Naubug	-	Nizam-Ud-Din		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
34	Doru Shahbad	-	Mir Qasim		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
35	Khowarpara	-	Noor-Ud-Din Dar		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
36	Dachhinpora	-	Mohammad Syed		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
37	Devsar	-	Abdul Aziz Zargar		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
38	Kulgam	-	Mohammed Yaqub Bhat		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
39	Nandi	-	Abdul Kabir Wani		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
40	Noorabad	-	Ghulam Hussain Khan		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
41	Shopian	-	Abdul Majid Bandey		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
42	Pampore	-	Peerzada Ghulam Jeelani		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
43	Pulwama	-	Sanaullah Sheikh		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
44	Tral	-	A. G. Trali		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
45	Rajpora	86.51%	Ghulam Mohammad Rajpori		JKNC	22,196	98.65%	Abdul Satar Ranjur		Democratic National Conference	181	.8%	22,015
46	Amira Kadal	64.23%	Sham Lal Saraf		JKNC	10,313	85.47%	Om Prakash		PSP	1,753	14.53%	8,560
47	Habba Kadal	76.46%	Durga Prasad Dhar		JKNC	14,495	95.16%	Ghulam Mohammed Malik		Democratic National Conference	516	3.39%	13,979
48	Tankipora	-	Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq		JKNC	colspan=8 style="background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center;"| Elected Unopposed
49	Khanyar	72.61%	Gazi Abdul Rehman		JKNC	12,762	95.99%	Baha - Ud - Din		Democratic National Conference	533	4.01%	12,229
50	Safa Kadal	-	Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
51	Zadibal	72.24%	Shaik Mohammad Abdullah		JKNC	14,093	83.76%	Syed Abdullah Shah		Independent	2,732	16.24%	11,361
52	Kangan	-	Main Nizam Ud-Din		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
53	Ganderbal	-	Abdul Salam Aitu		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
54	Hazratbal	-	Mohammed Yahya Sidiqi		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
55	Birwa	-	Syed Abdul Qudus Azad		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
56	Budgam	80.18%	Aga Syed Ali Safvi		JKNC	18,719	95.07%	Ghulam Nabi Wani Gohar		Independent	970	4.93%	17,749
57	Darhgam	62.3%	Ghulam Nabi Wani		Independent	7,573	53.71%	Ghulam Mohammed Mir		JKNC	6,527	46.29%	1,046
58	Khan Sahib	61.6%	Ghulam Mohi-Ud-Din Khan		JKNC	9,687	76.31%	Ghulam Mohammed Bakshi		Independent	3,007	23.69%	6,680
59	Charari Sharief	-	Bakshi Abdul Rashid		JKNC	colspan=8 style="background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center;"| Elected Unopposed
60	Baramulla	80.03%	Harbans Singh Azad		JKNC	17,021	88.45%	Sant Singh		Independent	2,223	11.55%	14,798
61	Tangamarg	-	Mohammad Akbar		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
62	Magam	-	Syed Abbas		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
63	Pattan	-	Ghulam Mohammad Bhat Zalib		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
64	Sopore	-	Abdul Ghani Malik		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
65	Rafiabad	-	Ghulam Rasool Kar		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
66	Bandipora	90.55%	Abdul Kabir Khan		JKNC	21,138	98.25%	Ghulam Mohammad Lone		Democratic National Conference	376	1.75%	20,762
67	Sonawari	-	Abdul Khaliq Bhat		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
68	Handwara	79.77%	Abdul Gani Mir		Independent	11,429	60.63%	Ghulam Qadir Massala		JKNC	7,422	39.37%	4,007
69	Drugmulla	-	Mohammad Sultan Tantray		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
70	Lolab	-	Ghulam Nabi Wani		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
71	Ramhal	-	Ghulam Mohammad Wani		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
72	Karnah	-	Mohammed Yunis Khan		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
73	Uri	-	Mohammed Afzal Khan Raja		JKNC	Elected Unopposed
74	Leh	90.22%	Kushak Bakula		JKNC	20,095	97.3%	Chering Punchok		Independent	558	2.7%	19,537
75	Kargil	-	Agha Sayad Ibrahim Shah		JKNC	Elected Unopposed

Aftermath

Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad was increasingly seen in New Delhi as an embarrassment as he arranged most seats to be elected unopposed. In 1963, he was forced to step down, and Khwaja Shamsuddin was elected as the Chief Minister. Bakshi ensured that his rival G. M. Sadiq could not be appointed. The Shamsuddin government again excluded Sadiq his colleagues from Cabinet appointments. ^[7]

In December 1963, the pent-up anger of the populace erupted over a stolen religious relic from the Srinagar's Hazratbal Mosque. Even though the relic was subsequently recovered, the people did not trust the government and continued the agitation. In the fall-out, Shamsuddin lost his post, and G. M. Sadiq was appointed as the Chief Minister in February 1965. ^[13]

References

1. 1962 J&K elections
2. "Statistical Report On General Election, 1962 To The Legislative Assembly Of Jammu And Kashmir" (PDF). Election Commission of India . 20 August 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
3. Prime Ministers and Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir since 1947. General Administration Department, Government of Jammu and Kashmir. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
4. Bose, Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace 2003, p. 77.
5. Ahuja, M. L. (1998), Electoral Politics and General Elections in India, 1952-1998, Mittal Publications, p. 101, ISBN   978-81-7099-711-5
6. Bose, Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace 2003, pp. 77–78.
7. Bose, Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace 2003, p. 78.
8. Das Gupta, Jammu and Kashmir 2012, pp. 269–270.
9. Das Gupta, Jammu and Kashmir 2012, p. 270.
10. "In Focus: Elections 2008", Epilogue, vol. 2, no. 11, pp. 19–25, November 2008
11. "Jammu & Kashmir 1962". Election Commission of India . Retrieved 22 June 2022.
12. "Statistical Report on General Election, 1962 to the Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir" (PDF). Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (pdf) on 6 October 2010. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
13. Bose, Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace 2003, pp. 78–80.

Bibliography

• Bose, Sumantra (2003), Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace, Harvard University Press, ISBN   0-674-01173-2
• Das Gupta, Jyoti Bhusan (2012) [first published 1968], Jammu and Kashmir, Springer, ISBN   978-94-011-9231-6