The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) is a regional political party in Indian-administered Kashmir's union territories of Jammu and Kashmir 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 twice as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, during November 2002–November 2005 and March 2015–January 2016. He was also Minister of Tourism in Rajiv Gandhi's cabinet and Home Minister of India in V. P. Singh's cabinet. He started in the wing of the National Conference led by G. M. Sadiq, which later merged into the Indian National Congress. He switched to Janata Dal in 1987, eventually founding his own regional party, People's Democratic Party (PDP). The PDP continues to be a political force in Jammu and Kashmir, currently led by his daughter Mehbooba Mufti.
The Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is a state political party in Jammu and Kashmir, India. The PDP was headed and founded by Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. His daughter, Mehbooba Mufti, succeeded him as party leader and as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir following his death in January 2016. The party is a member of the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration electoral alliance. The party is also a member of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance since its founding on 18 June 2023.
Jammu and Kashmir is administered by the Republic of India within the framework of a federal parliamentary republic as a union territory, like the union territory of Puducherry, with a multi-party democratic system of governance. Until 2019, it was governed as a state administered by India. Politics in the region reflects the historical tension and dispute that the state has been a part of in the form of the Kashmir conflict. The head of state is the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, currently Manoj Sinha, while the head of government is the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, currently vacant. Legislative power is vested in the Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir, although this was dissolved by the Governor on 21 November 2018. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.
Lal Chowk is a city square in Srinagar, in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
The State flag of Jammu and Kashmir was a symbol used in the former Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir between 1952 and 2019, under the special status accorded to the region by Article 370 of the Constitution of India. It was a red-and-white flag with a representation of a plough and three constituent regions of the state. After the abolition of Article 370 in August 2019, this flag lost its official status.
Rafi Ahmad Mir is an Indian politician from Jammu and Kashmir. He was previously the General Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party and held administrative position in Mehbooba Mufti's government as the Vice Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation with a ministerial status. He was one of close aides of Mufti with a popular public base in South Kashmir. Now associated with the newly formed Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party. Mir has been the key person behind Party's formation along with its founder President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari.
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.
Dr Nirmal Kumar Singh is an Indian politician and was the last Speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir State. He is a former Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. He is a leader of Bharatiya Janata Party. On 1 March 2015, he assumed the charge of the Minister for Power Development and Housing and Urban Development.
Aijaz Ahmad Khan popularly known as Aijaz Saab or Sher-e-Gool Gulabgarh is an Indian politician and was a member of the 10th, 11th and 12th Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly from Gool Arnas constituency. He served as Minister of various portfolios from 2002 to 2014 in Jammu and Kashmir Govt under the Chief Ministership of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Omar Abdullah. He also served as Deputy Leader of Congress Legislative Party from 2014 to 2018 He left Congress and became founding member of Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) formed on 8 March 2020. He is also currently the Vice President of Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party. He is also the Vice President of PAC and member CWC of Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party.
Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari is an Indian politician hailing from Jammu and Kashmir. He is the president of the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party, a political organization, which he launched in 2020. He served as the Member of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly from 2015 to 2018, representing the Amira Kadal Assembly constituency. He served as the education minister of Jammu and Kashmir and later assumed the additional responsibility of the Finance, Labour and Employment ministry.
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.
Zafar Iqbal Manhas is an Indian writer, poet, social activist and a Pahari politician from Jammu and Kashmir.
The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 is an act of the parliament of India containing provisions to reconstitute the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Indian-administered union territories (UTs) called Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, and becoming effective on 31 October 2019. A bill for the act was introduced by the Minister of Home Affairs, Amit Shah, in the Rajya Sabha on 5 August 2019 and was passed on the same day. It was then passed by the Lok Sabha on 6 August 2019 and it received the president's assent on 9 August 2019.
Junaid Azim Mattu is an Indian politician from Jammu and Kashmir. He is a member of the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party, and was Mayor of Srinagar till November 2023. He is head of the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Youth Federation as President.
Ghulam Hassan Mir is an Indian politician from Jammu and Kashmir, India. He is a member of the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party. He was the founding member of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party. He was elected to the Gulmarg constituency of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly in 2002 as a Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party candidate. He was a law minister in Ghulam Mohammad Shah led cabinet. He was minister of tourism in the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed led cabinet from 2002 to 2006.
Politics of Ladakh is exercised within democratic setup of the Indian-administered union territory of Ladakh. Major power centres are Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh and Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil alongside Ladakh Lok Sabha constituency. Indian National Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party are major political parties. Ladakhi religious organisations like Ladakh Buddhist Association, Imam Khomeni Memorial Trust and Anjuman-e-Jamiat-ul-Ulama Asna Asharia have major influences as well.
The Jammu and Kashmir Apni Youth Federation (JKAYF) also known as Youth Apni Party is youth wing of Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party in Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is founded in March 2020.
On 24 June 2021 the first major interaction between leaders of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Government of India post revocation of the former states special status and its reorganisation took place.
Peer Mohammed Hussain Soharvardi is a Kashmiri politician and former Minister of State in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. He served as Member of Legislative Assembly (2002-2008) after being elected from the Shangus assembly constituency. He, subsequently, also served as Vice Chairman of the J&K Muslim Wakf Board.
