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.
Mehbooba Mufti Sayed (Urdu: محبوبہ مفتی سید) is an Indian politician and leader of the Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party (PDP), who served as the 9th and last chief minister of the erstwhile state Jammu and Kashmir from 4 April 2016 to 19 June 2018. She was the first female chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. After the revocation of Article 370 of the constitution in August 2019, Mufti was detained without any charges at first and later under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act.
Ghulam Nabi Azad is an Indian politician who served as Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha between 2014 and 2021. He also served as the Chief Minister of erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir from 2005 to 2008. On 26 September 2022, Azad announced his own political party as Democratic Progressive Azad Party. He is the chief patron cum founder of Democratic Progressive Azad Party.
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 administered Jammu and Kashmir.
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.
Aijaz Ahmad Khan popularly known as 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 was also the Vice President of PAC and member CWC of Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party. Prior to Assembly Elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Khan left Apni Party and decided to contest elections as Independent from Gulabgarh constituency.
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 and politician who served as member of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council from 2015 to 2021.
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 was Mayor of Srinagar till November 2023.
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 an Indian 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 constituency. He, subsequently, also served as vice chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Wakf Board.
