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.
Although India is a parliamentary democracy,the country's politics has become dynastic or with high level of nepotism,possibly due to the absence of party organizations,independent civil-society associations which mobilize support for a party,or centralized financing of elections. The dynastic phenomenon is present at the national,state,regional,and district level. The Nehru–Gandhi family has produced three Indian prime ministers,and family members have largely led the Congress party since 1978. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also has several dynastic leaders. In addition to the major national parties,other national and regional parties such as Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK),Shiromani Akali Dal,Shiv Sena,Samajwadi Party,Rashtriya Janata Dal,Janata Dal Secular,Jharkhand Mukti Morcha,Kerala Congress,Jammu &Kashmir National Conference,Indian Union Muslim League,AIMIM,and the Nationalist Congress Party are all dominated by families,mostly those of the party founders.
Ranbir Singh Pura is a town and Tehsil,near city of Jammu in Jammu district of the Indian Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It was the first planned city of Jammu and Kashmir
Chaudhary Lal Singh is an Indian politician from Jammu and Kashmir. He was Minister for Forest,Environment,Ecology of J&K in PDP-BJP coalition government in J&K. He represented the Basohli in Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
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.
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.
Harsh Dev Singh is an Indian politician and advocate. He was Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party from 2012 to 2022. He won three elections serving as MLA for Ramnagar,constituency for 18 continuous years from 1996 till 2014. Under his tenure as the Minister of Education of Jammu and Kashmir from 2002 to 2008,English became a compulsory language from first grade. Harsh Dev joined Aam Aadmi Party on 7 May 2022,and on 17 October 2022 he became APP chairman in Jammu and Kashmir. On 16 Feb 2023,he resigned from APP and rejoined Panthers Party to revive it. On April 4,he was elected President of Panthers Party.
Yash Paul Kundal is an Indian politician belonging to Indian National Congress in Jammu and Kashmir. He was the state president of Young Panthers,the youth wing of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party. He has twice been a Member of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly,and was the Minister of Animal and Sheep Husbandry from 2002 to 2008. On 8 April 2022,he joined Aam Admi 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.
Ravinder Raina is an Indian politician from Jammu and Kashmir. He is a member of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).He was the last president of BJP J&K state unit and first president of J&K union territory unit.
Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali is an Indian politician and former cabinet minister of Jammu and Kashmir. He is an advocate by profession and was a member of the 11th and 12th Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly from Darhal constituency. He has also served as Cabinet Minister from 2015 to 2018. He was also associated with Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party and served as district chief of the party for district Rajouri 2003 to 2013. He resigned from the PDP and became one of the founding member of Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party. Presently Vice President of the party. in August 2024,He joined BJP.
A District Development Council is a form of elected local government in Jammu and Kashmir facilitated by the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act,1989 and created under Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Rule,1996 of the constitution of India. They are primarily aimed at electing the members from the rural and urban areas for the District Planning Committee and the councils themselves with fourteen members from each district for speedy development and economic upliftment.
Mehraj Din Malik is an Indian politician and social worker from Jammu and Kashmir. He was elected as a member of legislative assembly (MLA) for the Doda Assembly constituency in October 2024. He was the Aam Aadmi Party's first and only winning MLA candidate in J&K as of 2024. On 17 October 2022,the Aam Aadmi Party appointed him as co-chairman of the J&K State Coordination Committee.
Qamar Hussain Choudhary is an Indian politician from Jammu and Kashmir. He was the MLA from Rajouri Assembly constituency in Rajouri district. He won the 2014 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election representing the Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party. He was nominated again to contest the Thanamandi Assembly constituency which was a newly created seat,reserved for Scheduled Tribe community in the 2024 election by JKPDP but lost.
Javed Ahmed Rana is an Indian politician from Jammu and Kashmir. He is an member of Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly from Mendhar Assembly constituency and is currently serving as a cabinet minister in the government of Jammu and Kashmir.
Jewan Lal is an Indian politician from Jammu and Kashmir. He is an MLA from Bani Assembly constituency in Kathua district. He won the 2014 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election representing the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Dr Devinder Kumar Manyal is an Indian politician from Jammu and Kashmir.The current MLA of Ramgarh and former Health Minister of Jammu and Kashmir,He is an MLA from Samba Assembly constituency which is reserved for Scheduled Caste community in Samba district. He won the 2014 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election representing the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Rajeev Sharma is an Indian politician from Jammu and Kashmir. He was a former MLA from Akhnoor Assembly constituency in Jammu district. He won the 2014 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election representing the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Surinder Kumar Choudhary is an Indian politician,currently serving as the deputy chief minister of the Jammu and Kashmir since 16 October 2024. He has been a member of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly since 8 October 2024,representing the Nowshera assembly constituency as a member of the Jammu &Kashmir National Conference. Choudhary previously served as a member of the Legislative Council (MLC) from the Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party (PDP).
