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all 87 seats in Legislative Assembly 44 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Registered | 6,461,757 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Turnout | 61.16% (![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Elections for the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir were held over seven days in November and December 2008. The previous government led by the Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party (PDP) in coalition with the Indian National Congress (INC) collapsed when the PDP withdrew. Following the election, the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (NC) agreed on a coalition with Congress and their leader, Omar Abdullah became the state's youngest-ever Chief Minister at 38.
Elections for the Jammu and Kashmir state Assembly were due in 2008, following the end of the term of the Assembly elected in 2002. However, the PDP withdrew from the INC-led state government in protest at the Amarnath land transfer decision. The INC government resigned in July 2008 and the state was brought under the direct rule of the central government pending the elections. [1]
The main Kashmiri separatist group, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference called on Kashmiris to boycott the elections, saying the elections were a "futile exercise" that would never "fulfill the aspirations of the people". [2]
Despite these boycott calls, NC leaders claimed that activists from Jamaat-e-Islami had come out and voted for the PDP. [3]
There were scattered separatist protests throughout the elections, including hundreds who protested in Srinagar. Police prevented these protestors from marching to the center of the city which led to protestors throwing stones at the police who fired tear gas and used baton charges. [4]
Indian election officials voiced major concerns about the security of the elections given the calls for a boycott and protest from separatist leaders and the recent violence over the Amarnath land transfer controversy. Voting was staggered so that security forces could maintain control. Thousands of security forces were deployed during the voting. In Srinagar, security forces were posted at junctions, patrolled the streets, and guarded polling stations. An unofficial curfew was enforced, gatherings of more than five people banned and neighborhoods were sealed off with steel barricades and razor wire. [4]
Police also arrested three men they accused of being Jaish-e-Mohammed members planning suicide attacks in Jammu. [5] One of those arrested was a soldier in the Army of Pakistan, who Pakistan said had deserted in 2006. [4] However following the polls the NC leader, Farooq Abdullah, thanked the Pakistan government for their "non-interference" with the polls. [6]
The seven stages of the elections were held as follows:
Date | Seats | Turnout | |
---|---|---|---|
Monday 17 November | 10 | 69.02% | |
Sunday 23 November | 6 | 68.29% | |
Sunday 30 November | 5 | 68.22% | |
Sunday 7 December | 18 | 59.24% | |
Saturday 13 December | 11 | 58.5% | |
Wednesday 17 December | 16 | 65.93% | |
Wednesday 24 December | 21 | 52.0% | |
Total | 87 | 60.5% | |
Source: [7] [8] |
Turnout rose by 17%, despite calls from Kashmiri separatists and Pakistan for Kashmiris to boycott the election. [8] [9] INC head Sonia Gandhi described the polls as "a triumph of Indian democracy".
Separatist supporters were said to have backed the PDP. [9] The BJP's increase in support was said to be due to polarisation arising from the Amarnath land transfer controversy, which led it to increase its seat tally from 1 to 11 seats. [10]
1,354 candidates stood for election including 517 independents and nominees from 43 political parties. [11]
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Party | Flag | Seats | +/– | ||||||||
National Conference | ![]() | 28 | 0 | ||||||||
People's Democratic Party | 21 | ![]() | |||||||||
Indian National Congress | 17 | ![]() | |||||||||
Bharatiya Janata Party | 11 | ![]() | |||||||||
Jammu & Kashmir National Panthers Party | ![]() | 3 | ![]() | ||||||||
Communist Party of India (Marxist) | ![]() | 1 | ![]() | ||||||||
People's Democratic Front | 1 | ||||||||||
Jammu & Kashmir Democratic Party Nationalist | 1 | ||||||||||
Independents | 4 | ||||||||||
Total (turnout 60.5%) | 87 | ||||||||||
Source: Electoral Commission of India [ permanent dead link ] |
Assembly Constituency | Turnout | Winner | Runner Up | Margin | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
#k | Names | % | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |||
1 | Karnah | 79.65% | Kifil-Ur-Rehman Khan | JKNC | 4,110 | 19.15% | Abdul Rehman Bhadana | JKANC | 2,962 | 13.8% | 1,148 | ||
2 | Kupwara | 62.43% | Saifullah Mir | JKNC | 16,696 | 30.07% | Fayaz Ahmad Mir | JKPDP | 11,514 | 20.74% | 5,182 | ||
3 | Lolab | 68.15% | Abdul Haq Khan | JKPDP | 23,337 | 40.67% | Qaysar Jamshaid Lone | JKNC | 17,990 | 31.35% | 5,347 | ||
4 | Handwara | 75.58% | Chowdary Mohammed Ramzan | JKNC | 27,907 | 48.38% | Ghulam Mohi-Ud-Din Sofi | Independent | 16,317 | 28.29% | 11,590 | ||
5 | Langate | 61.33% | Sheikh Abdul Rashid | Independent | 7,964 | 21.86% | Mohammed Sultan Pandithpori | JKPDP | 7,754 | 21.29% | 210 | ||
6 | Uri | 81.73% | Taj Mohiuddin | INC | 24,036 | 44.54% | Mohammad Shafi | JKNC | 22,157 | 41.06% | 1,879 | ||
7 | Rafiabad | 51.86% | Javid Ahmad Dar | JKNC | 13,198 | 35.89% | Mohammad Dilawar Mir | JKPDP | 12,982 | 35.3% | 216 | ||
8 | Sopore | 19.96% | Mohammed Ashraf Ganie | JKNC | 4,368 | 24.24% | Abdul Rashid Dar | INC | 3,304 | 18.34% | 1,064 | ||
9 | Gurez | 74.02% | Nazir Ahmad Khan | JKNC | 5,817 | 51.06% | Faqeer Ahmad Khan | INC | 5,085 | 44.64% | 732 | ||
10 | Bandipora | 57.08% | Nizam Uddin Bhat | JKPDP | 13,051 | 26.1% | Usman Abdul Majid | Independent | 12,231 | 24.46% | 820 | ||
11 | Sonawari | 59.95% | Mohammad Akbar Lone | JKNC | 20,108 | 39.74% | Abid Hussain Ansari | Independent | 7,951 | 15.71% | 12,157 | ||
12 | Sangrama | 46.61% | Syed Basharat Ahmad | JKPDP | 7,812 | 28.09% | Shoaib Nabi Lone | Independent | 6,482 | 23.31% | 1,330 | ||
13 | Baramulla | 33.31% | Muzaffar Hussain Baig | JKPDP | 13,019 | 53.46% | Nazir Hussain Khan | JKNC | 7,621 | 31.29% | 5,398 | ||
14 | Gulmarg | 59.8% | Ghulam Hassan Mir | Jammu & Kashmir Democratic Party Nationalist | 18,253 | 36.81% | Sheikh Mustafa Kamal | JKNC | 11,812 | 23.82% | 6,441 | ||
15 | Pattan | 50.84% | Iftikhar Hussain Ansari | JKPDP | 20,703 | 51.14% | Abdul Rashid Shaheen | JKNC | 9,432 | 23.3% | 11,271 | ||
16 | Kangan | 59.53% | Mian Altaf Ahmed Larvi | JKNC | 19,210 | 54.98% | Mian Bashir Ahmed | JKPDP | 11,495 | 32.9% | 7,715 | ||
17 | Ganderbal | 51.73% | Omar Abdullah | JKNC | 16,519 | 41.49% | Qazi Mohammad Afzal | JKPDP | 8,304 | 20.85% | 8,215 | ||
18 | Hazratbal | 28.91% | Farooq Abdullah | JKNC | 11,041 | 44.66% | Asiea | JKPDP | 6,769 | 27.38% | 4,272 | ||
19 | Zadibal | 17.3% | Peer Aafaq Ahmed | JKNC | 4,335 | 34.89% | Shahi Jahan Dar | JKPDP | 3,094 | 24.9% | 1,241 | ||
20 | Eidgah | 22.07% | Mubarak Ahmed Gul | JKNC | 4,457 | 35.97% | Asifa Tariq Qara | JKPDP | 2,778 | 22.42% | 1,679 | ||
21 | Khanyar | 17.41% | Ali Mohammad Sagar | JKNC | 6,314 | 74.16% | Showkat Ahmad Hafiz | JKPDP | 806 | 9.47% | 5,508 | ||
22 | Habba Kadal | 11.62% | Shamim Firdous | JKNC | 2,374 | 41.14% | Hira Lal Chatta | BJP | 672 | 11.65% | 1,702 | ||
23 | Amira Kadal | 14.96% | Nasir Aslam Wani | JKNC | 3,912 | 34.75% | Parvaiz Ahmed Bhat | JKPDP | 3,103 | 27.56% | 809 | ||
24 | Sonawar | 36.66% | Farooq Abdullah | JKNC | 7,018 | 28.23% | Sheikh Ghulam Qadir Pardesi | JKPDP | 6,924 | 27.86% | 94 | ||
25 | Batmaloo | 19.96% | Mohammed Irfan Shah | JKNC | 9,447 | 44.83% | Tariq Hameed Karra | JKPDP | 6,738 | 31.97% | 2,709 | ||
26 | Chadoora | 53.79% | Javaid Mustafa Mir | JKPDP | 16,278 | 41.36% | Ali Mohammad Dar | JKNC | 13,338 | 33.89% | 2,940 | ||
27 | Budgam | 55.17% | Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi | JKNC | 19,652 | 40.15% | Mohammed Kamal Malik | JKPDP | 9,692 | 19.8% | 9,960 | ||
28 | Beerwah | 57.18% | Shafi Ahmad Wani | JKPDP | 11,720 | 24.42% | Abdul Majid Matoo | JKNC | 11,556 | 24.08% | 164 | ||
29 | Khan Sahib | 74.73% | Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen Shah | People's Democratic Front (Jammu and Kashmir) | 22,616 | 41.94% | Saif Ud Din Bhat | JKPDP | 14,221 | 26.37% | 8,395 | ||
30 | Charari Sharief | 74.58% | Abdul Rahim Rather | JKNC | 24,579 | 48.3% | Ghulam Nabi Lone | JKPDP | 18,204 | 35.78% | 6,375 | ||
31 | Tral | 48.69% | Mushtaq Ahmad Shah | JKPDP | 10,393 | 28.47% | Mohammed Ashraf Bhat | JKNC | 6,586 | 18.04% | 3,807 | ||
32 | Pampore | 43.43% | Zahoor Ahmad Mir | JKPDP | 11,117 | 36.84% | Mohammed Anwar Bhat | INC | 5,969 | 19.78% | 5,148 | ||
33 | Pulwama | 40.84% | Mohammed Khalil Band | JKPDP | 10,639 | 36.45% | Sonaullah Dar | Independent | 4,003 | 13.71% | 6,636 | ||
34 | Rajpora | 50.61% | Syed Bashir Ahmad Shah | JKPDP | 10,177 | 25.12% | Ghulam Mohi Uddin Mir | Independent | 9,230 | 22.79% | 947 | ||
35 | Wachi | 48.55% | Mehbooba Mufti | JKPDP | 12,810 | 37.96% | Showkat Hussain Ganie | JKNC | 4,474 | 13.26% | 8,336 | ||
36 | Shopian | 52.72% | Abdul Razaq Wagay | JKPDP | 8,006 | 21.23% | Mohammed Shafi | INC | 5,208 | 13.81% | 2,798 | ||
37 | Noorabad | 74.1% | Sakeena Akhtar | JKNC | 16,240 | 35.23% | Abdul Aziz Zargar | JKPDP | 11,722 | 25.43% | 4,518 | ||
38 | Kulgam | 61.61% | Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami | CPI(M) | 17,175 | 34.24% | Nazir Ahmad Laway | JKPDP | 16,939 | 33.77% | 236 | ||
39 | Hom Shali Bugh | 54.36% | Abdul Gafar Sofi | JKPDP | 12,249 | 33.74% | Abdul Majeed | JKNC | 7,439 | 20.49% | 4,810 | ||
40 | Anantnag | 41.22% | Mufti Mohammad Sayeed | JKPDP | 12,439 | 39.49% | Mirza Mehboob Beigh | JKNC | 7,548 | 23.96% | 4,891 | ||
41 | Devsar | 68.36% | Mohammed Sartaj Madni | JKPDP | 14,175 | 26.79% | Peerzada Ghulam Ahmad | JKNC | 10,174 | 19.23% | 4,001 | ||
42 | Dooru | 69.83% | Ghulam Ahmad Mir | INC | 15,870 | 36.19% | Syed Farooq Ahmad Andrabi | JKPDP | 9,952 | 22.69% | 5,918 | ||
43 | Kokernag | 70.35% | Peerzada Mohammad Syed | INC | 13,384 | 26.75% | Ghulam Nabi Bhat | JKNC | 12,114 | 24.21% | 1,270 | ||
44 | Shangus–Anantnag East | 69.29% | Peerzada Mansoor Hussain | JKPDP | 13,853 | 27.99% | Gulzar Ahmad Wani | INC | 12,423 | 25.1% | 1,430 | ||
45 | Srigufwara–Bijbehara | 60.75% | Abdul Rehman Bhat | JKPDP | 23,320 | 49.88% | Bashir Ahmad Shah Veeri | JKNC | 13,046 | 27.9% | 10,274 | ||
46 | Pahalgam | 70.25% | Rafi Ahmad Mir | JKPDP | 24,316 | 49.29% | Altaf Ahmad Wani | JKNC | 13,394 | 27.15% | 10,922 | ||
47 | Nubra | 71.26% | Tsetan Namgyal | Independent | 4,608 | 53.48% | Tsewang Rigzin | INC | 3,678 | 42.68% | 930 | ||
48 | Leh | 61.05% | Nawang Rigzin | INC | 19,008 | 50.5% | Thupstan Chhewang | Independent | 17,485 | 46.45% | 1,523 | ||
49 | Kargil | 75.05% | Qamar Ali Akhoon | JKNC | 22,935 | 53.64% | Haji Nissar Ali | Independent | 17,635 | 41.24% | 5,300 | ||
50 | Zanskar | 72.2% | Feroz Ahmed Khan | JKNC | 6,552 | 44.72% | Ghulam Raza | INC | 5,634 | 38.45% | 918 | ||
51 | Kishtwar | 74.46% | Sajjad Ahmad Kichloo | JKNC | 19,248 | 37.48% | Sunil Kumar Sharma | BJP | 16,783 | 32.68% | 2,465 | ||
52 | Inderwal | 72.81% | Ghulam Mohammad Saroori | INC | 22,684 | 42.67% | Shakti Raj | BJP | 12,269 | 23.08% | 10,415 | ||
53 | Doda | 73.05% | Abdul Majid Wani | INC | 23,254 | 44.55% | Khalid Najib Suharwardy | JKNC | 16,102 | 30.85% | 7,152 | ||
54 | Bhaderwah | 65.29% | Ghulam Nabi Azad | INC | 38,238 | 62.86% | Daya Krishan | BJP | 8,802 | 14.47% | 29,436 | ||
55 | Ramban | 65.59% | Ashok Kumar | INC | 21,779 | 43.47% | Bali Bhagat | BJP | 11,460 | 22.88% | 10,319 | ||
56 | Banihal | 67.94% | Vikar Rasool Wani | INC | 8,287 | 17.38% | Showket Javeed Daing | Independent | 5,254 | 11.02% | 3,033 | ||
57 | Gulabgarh | 77.66% | Abdul Ghani Malik | JKNC | 14,268 | 31.28% | Haji Mumtaz Ahmad Khan | Independent | 11,020 | 24.16% | 3,248 | ||
58 | Reasi | 73.61% | Baldev Raj | BJP | 26,031 | 37.01% | Jugal Kishore | INC | 19,369 | 27.54% | 6,662 | ||
59 | Gool Arnas | 76.7% | Ajaz Ahmed Khan | INC | 15,594 | 37.05% | Ghulam Qadir Mughal | JKNC | 12,142 | 28.85% | 3,452 | ||
60 | Udhampur | 68.64% | Balwant Singh Mankotia | JKNPP | 25,259 | 35.49% | Pawan Kumar Gupta | BJP | 22,494 | 31.61% | 2,765 | ||
61 | Chenani | 57.37% | Krishan Chander | INC | 16,276 | 35.47% | Dina Nath Bhagat | BJP | 9,838 | 21.44% | 6,438 | ||
62 | Ramnagar | 64.54% | Harsh Dev Singh | JKNPP | 30,609 | 47.18% | Vinod Khajuria | BSP | 18,463 | 28.46% | 12,146 | ||
63 | Bani | 76.09% | Lal Chand | BJP | 11,041 | 39.57% | Ghulam Haider Malik | JKNC | 8,792 | 31.51% | 2,249 | ||
64 | Basohli | 69.8% | Jagdish Raj Sapolia | BJP | 16,651 | 35.25% | Davinder Singh | JKNC | 13,770 | 29.15% | 2,881 | ||
65 | Kathua | 72.98% | Charanjit Singh | Independent | 19,123 | 25.82% | Som Raj Majotra | BSP | 16,761 | 22.63% | 2,362 | ||
66 | Billawar | 70.9% | Manohar Lal Sharma | INC | 22,262 | 35.78% | Satish Kumar Sharma | BJP | 13,879 | 22.31% | 8,383 | ||
67 | Hiranagar | 66.03% | Durga Dass | BJP | 19,730 | 30.5% | Prem Lal | Independent | 16,993 | 26.27% | 2,737 | ||
68 | Samba | 72.52% | Yash Paul Kundal | JKNPP | 14,631 | 27.15% | Satwant Kour | BJP | 12,642 | 23.45% | 1,989 | ||
69 | Vijaypur | 80.27% | Surjeet Singh Slathia | JKNC | 21,090 | 27.21% | Chader Prakash Sharma | BJP | 19,878 | 25.64% | 1,212 | ||
70 | Nagrota | 79.33% | Jugal Kishore Sharma | BJP | 11,141 | 22.76% | M. K. Ajat Shatru | JKNC | 9,521 | 19.45% | 1,620 | ||
71 | Gandhinagar | 64.15% | Raman Bhalla | INC | 33,486 | 36.34% | Nirmal Singh | BJP | 31,223 | 33.89% | 2,263 | ||
72 | Jammu East | 60.71% | Ashok Kumar Khajuria | BJP | 15,907 | 50.72% | Narender Singh | INC | 5,474 | 17.45% | 10,433 | ||
73 | Jammu West | 60.85% | Chaman Lal Gupta | BJP | 34,288 | 40.26% | Surinder Singh Shangari | Independent | 21,251 | 24.95% | 13,037 | ||
74 | Bishnah | 75.77% | Ashwani Kumar Sharma | Independent | 14,078 | 22.46% | Kamal Verma | BSP | 13,589 | 21.68% | 489 | ||
75 | Ranbir Singh Pora–Jammu South | 76.56% | Gharu Ram Bhagat | BJP | 15,902 | 28.95% | Suman Lata Bhagat | INC | 14,272 | 25.98% | 1,630 | ||
76 | Suchetgarh | 79.8% | Sham Lal Choudhary | BJP | 17,995 | 39.39% | Taranjeet Singh | JKNC | 10,403 | 22.77% | 7,592 | ||
77 | Marh | 81.97% | Sukh Nandan Kumar | BJP | 18,368 | 35.04% | Ajay Sadhotra | JKNC | 11,787 | 22.49% | 6,581 | ||
78 | Raipur Domana | 70.55% | Bharat Bhushan | BJP | 28,685 | 47.78% | Mulla Ram | INC | 16,416 | 27.34% | 12,269 | ||
79 | Akhnoor | 79.68% | Sham Lal Sharma | INC | 31,600 | 47.97% | Govind Ram Sharma | BJP | 17,716 | 26.89% | 13,884 | ||
80 | Chhamb | 78.35% | Tara Chand | INC | 25,335 | 48.59% | Chaman Lal | BJP | 22,940 | 44.% | 2,395 | ||
81 | Nowshera | 73.07% | Radhay Sham Sharma | JKNC | 16,511 | 26.47% | Romesh Chander Sharma | INC | 12,691 | 20.35% | 3,820 | ||
82 | Darhal | 77.37% | Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali | JKPDP | 19,399 | 28.55% | Mohammed Iqbal Malik | Independent | 14,858 | 21.87% | 4,541 | ||
83 | Rajouri | 70.12% | Shabir Ahmed Khan | INC | 10,013 | 13.63% | Tasadiq Hussain | JKPDP | 9,680 | 13.18% | 333 | ||
84 | Kalakote | 73.32% | Rachhpal Singh | JKNC | 25,314 | 45.62% | Ashok Kumar Sharma | Independent | 13,894 | 25.04% | 11,420 | ||
85 | Surankote | 74.92% | Aslam Chowdhary Mohammad | INC | 28,102 | 44.22% | Mushtaq Ahmed Shah Bukhari | JKNC | 26,051 | 40.99% | 2,051 | ||
86 | Mendhar | 77.85% | Sardar Rafiq Hussain Khan | JKPDP | 29,036 | 47.63% | Javed Ahmed Rana | JKNC | 28,294 | 46.42% | 742 | ||
87 | Poonch Haveli | 74.37% | Ajaz Ahmed Jan | JKNC | 28,297 | 39.62% | Chaudhary Bashir Ahmed Naaz | INC | 18,364 | 25.71% | 9,933 | ||
Former National Conference Chief Minister, Farooq Abdullah, said he did not want to return as it "required the energy of a younger man", and nominated his son, Omar Abdullah, and the head of the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference instead. [13]
Congress debated forming a coalition with either Conference or the PDP. It was reported that the PDP had offered to support a Congress candidate for Chief Minister if they joined with them. However, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi were reported to favor the largest party to "honor the mandate" of the election. [14]
On 30 December Congress and the National Conference agreed to form a coalition government, with Omar Abdullah as Chief Minister. [15]
The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) is a regional political party in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir union territory and Ladakh. Founded as the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference by Sheikh Abdullah and Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas in 1932 in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, the organisation renamed itself to National Conference in 1939 in order to represent all the people of the state. It supported the accession of the princely state to India in 1947. Prior to that, in 1941, a group led by Ghulam Abbas broke off from the National Conference and revived the old Muslim Conference. The revived Muslim Conference supported the accession of the princely state to Pakistan and led the movement for Azad Kashmir.
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was an Indian politician who served as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir twice from November 2002 to November 2005 and from March 2015 until his death on January 7, 2016. He held various positions, including minister of Tourism in Rajiv Gandhi's cabinet and minister of Home Affairs in V. P. Singh's cabinet. Sayeed began his political career in the wing of the National Conference led by G. M. Sadiq, which later merged with the Indian National Congress. In 1987, he transitioned to the Janata Dal and subsequently founded the People's Democratic Party (PDP), a regional political party that remains influential in Jammu and Kashmir, currently led by his daughter, Mehbooba Mufti.
Syed Ali Shah Geelani was a Kashmiri separatist leader and politician in the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. Known for his pro-Pakistan stance, he was a key figure in the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, an alliance of separatist groups. A former Indian intelligence officer referred to him as the 'father of the Kashmiri jihad.'
Farooq Abdullah is an Indian politician and the current president of the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference. He has served as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir on several occasions since 1982, and as the union minister for New and Renewable Energy between 2009 and 2014. He is the son of the 1st elected chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Sheikh Abdullah. His son is the current chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah.
Omar Abdullah is an Indian politician who is currently serving as the chief minister of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. He had previously served as the chief minister of the state of Jammu and Kashmir between 2009 and 2014, and is the current vice president of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, a position he has held since 2009. Abdullah also served as a member of parliament in the Lok Sabha from 1998 to 2009, representing the Srinagar parliamentary constituency, and was a union minister of State for External Affairs.
The insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, also known as the Kashmir insurgency, is an ongoing separatist militant insurgency against the Indian administration in Jammu and Kashmir, a territory constituting the southwestern portion of the larger geographical region of Kashmir, which has been the subject of a territorial dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947.
The Jammu & Kashmir National Panthers Party is a socialist and secular state political party in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The party was founded on 23 March 1982 by husband and wife Prof. Bhim Singh and Jay Mala, Its aim is to "demolish corruption, communalism, criminalization, drug menace" and to establish a real democracy through ultimate revolution. Panthers party has maintained power at assembly and the local level for over four decades in its stronghold within the mountainous Udhampur constituency, where in the vicinity 5.9 million tonnes of Jammu and Kashmir lithium reserves, the 7th largest known reserve in the world, with an estimated value of $500 billion, was discovered in February 2023.
The Kashmir conflict is a territorial conflict over the Kashmir region, primarily between India and Pakistan, and also between China and India in the northeastern portion of the region. The conflict started after the partition of India in 1947 as both India and Pakistan claimed the entirety of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is a dispute over the region that escalated into three wars between India and Pakistan and several other armed skirmishes. India controls approximately 55% of the land area of the region that includes Jammu, the Kashmir Valley, most of Ladakh, the Siachen Glacier, and 70% of its population; Pakistan controls approximately 30% of the land area that includes Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan; and China controls the remaining 15% of the land area that includes the Aksai Chin region, the mostly uninhabited Trans-Karakoram Tract, and part of the Demchok sector.
Sajad Gani Lone is an Indian politician, and Member of the Legislative Assembly elected from the Handwara constituency. He is the chairman of Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference.
On 26 May 2008, the government of India and the state Government of Jammu and Kashmir reached an agreement to transfer 99 acres (0.40 km2) of forest land to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) in the main Kashmir Valley to set up temporary shelters and facilities for Hindu pilgrims to Amarnath Temple. This caused a controversy, with demonstrations from the Kashmir valley against the land transfer and protests from the Jammu region supporting it. The largest demonstration saw more than 500,000 protesters at a single rally, among the largest in Kashmir's history.
Mohammad Abbas Ansari was a separatist political leader and a well known Shia Muslim scholar, reformer, preacher and cleric from Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. He was known for his religious lectures and as a Kashmiri separatist, ex-chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, also founder and chairman of the Ittihadul Muslimeen also known as Jammu & Kashmir Ittihadul Muslimeen (JKIM), a Kashmiri nationalist Shia separatist political party which aims for Shi'a–Sunni unity in Kashmir & independence of Jammu and Kashmir from India through peaceful struggle. He is considered a moderate and has called for an end to violence in that region. He is Succeeded by his son Maulana Masroor Abbas Ansari.
The 2010 Kashmir unrest was a series of violent protests and riots in the Kashmir Division, Chenab Valley and Pir Panjal regions of Northern Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It began in June 2010 after the Indian Army claimed to have killed three Pakistani infiltrators. However, it was later revealed that three young men from Nadihal village in Baramulla district were killed in a staged encounter at Sona Pindi by a soldier of the Territorial Army, a counter-insurgent, and a former special police officer. This incident, later known as the Machil fake encounter, sparked outrage across the region, contributing to the violent protests that followed.
Elections in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are conducted in accordance with the Constitution of India to elect the representatives of various bodies at national, state and district levels including the 114 seat unicameral Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly and the Parliament of India. The first elections in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir took place between 28 November and 19 December 2020 in the form of by-elections to District Development Councils and municipal and panchayat level bodies. A fresh delimitation process for assembly constituencies began in February–March 2020.
The 2014 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election was held in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir in five phases from 25 November – 20 December 2014. Voters elected 87 members to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, which ends its six-year term on 19 January 2020. The results were declared on 23 December 2014. Voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) along with EVMs were used in 3 assembly seats out of 87 in Jammu Kashmir elections.
Elections for the former Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir were held in September -October 2002 in four phases.
Burhan Wani was the leader of Hizbul Mujahideen, an Islamist terrorist organization and terrorist group of the Kashmir conflict. He had become a popular figure amongst the local Kashmiri populace, having done so primarily through a strong social media presence, and was responsible for moulding the insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir into a youth-oriented movement. Wani was a terrorist leader and had reportedly recruited numerous foot-soldiers through his personal efforts.
The 2016 Kashmir Riots, also known as the Burhan aftermath, refers to protests in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, chiefly in the Kashmir Valley. It started after the killing of militant leader Burhan Wani by Indian security forces on 8 July 2016. Wani was a commander of the Kashmir-based Islamist militant organisation Hizbul Mujahideen.
A by-election was held in the Lok Sabha constituency of Srinagar on 9 April 2017 with repolling in 38 polling on 13 April. It was triggered by the resignation of Tariq Hameed Karra after his defection from Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party to the Indian National Congress.
Legislative Assembly elections were held in Jammu and Kashmir from 18 September to 1 October 2024 in 3 phases to elect 90 members of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly. The results of the elections were announced on 8 October 2024. The INDIA alliance, consisting of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC), the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), won a majority of seats in the election, winning 49 of the 90 seats for which elections were held, with the JKNC winning the highest number of seats.
Qazi Mohammad Afzal was an Indian politician from Jammu and Kashmir, belonging to the Peoples Democratic Party. He served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly from 2002 to 2008. He gained prominence for his victory over Omar Abdullah, the president of the National Conference (NC), in the Ganderbal Assembly constituency during the 2002 assembly elections. He was a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).