Srinagar: As results poured in from the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the electorate delivered a resounding endorsement to the National Conference (NC) and Congress alliance, significantly shifting the political landscape in the region.
Omar Abdullah, the former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, had a remarkable showing, contesting two seats and winning both by impressive margins of 18,000 and 10,000 votes.
The Ganderbal seat, a traditional stronghold of the Abdullah family, saw Omar triumph against jailed cleric Sarjan Wagay and Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid’s Awami Ittehad Party candidate Sheikh Ashiq. Abdullah’s victory in Budgam over PDP’s Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi further solidified his influence.
In the wake of the results, NC chief Farooq Abdullah confidently proclaimed that Omar would assume the role of the next Chief Minister of the Union Territory.
In a notable upset, Iltija Mufti, the outspoken daughter of former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, suffered a significant defeat in her electoral debut from the Srigufwara-Bijbehara constituency. Iltija was bested by NC veteran Bashir Veeri, losing by more than 9,000 votes.
The PDP has held this constituency since 1996, with Mehbooba Mufti previously representing it. This loss represents a serious setback for the PDP, which has seen its influence wane in recent years.
Sajad Lone, the chief of the People’s Conference, experienced mixed results, winning in Handwara while losing in Kupwara. Lone secured a narrow victory over NC’s Choudhary Ramzan in Handwara by 600 votes but faced a significant defeat in Kupwara to PDP’s Mir Mohammad Fayaz.
In another surprising result, Ravinder Raina, the BJP chief in Jammu and Kashmir, was defeated by NC’s Surinder Choudhary in Nowshera. Raina garnered 27,250 votes against Choudhary’s 35,069. Earlier that morning, Raina had expressed confidence in his party’s prospects, performing a ‘yagya’ in anticipation of a majority.
M. Yousuf Tarigami, the senior CPI(M) leader, marked a successful return by winning the Kulgam constituency with 33,634 votes, defeating hardline Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Sayar Ahmed Reshi, who received 25,796 votes.
Syed Altaf Bukhari, chief of the J&K Apni Party, faced disappointment, losing to NC candidate Mushtaq Guroo in the Channapora constituency by over 5,600 votes. Meanwhile, Tariq Hameed Karra of Congress made a notable comeback, winning the Central Shalteng seat with 18,933 votes, significantly outpacing Independent candidate Muhammad Irfan Shah.
After a long see-saw battle, JKNC leader Javaid Riyaz won from the Pattan assembly seat with a margin of 603 votes. He defeated JKPC’s Imran Raza Ansari and former MLA Pattan.
Shagun Parihar, the BJP’s female candidate, secured the Kishtwar Assembly seat, narrowly defeating veteran NC leader Sajad Ahmed Kitchloo by a margin of 521 votes. Parihar, only 29 years old, expressed gratitude to the people of Kishtwar for their support, declaring that her victory was a reflection of their faith in her and the party.
AAP candidate Mehraj Malik also emerged victorious, winning with a margin of 4,538 votes against BJP’s Gajay Singh Rana. Following his win, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal congratulated Malik, noting that the party now has representation in its fifth state.
Former Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand faced a stunning defeat, losing the Chhamb seat to rebel Independent candidate Satesh Sharma by a margin of 6,929 votes. The Congress party had previously dominated this constituency, winning seven of the last nine elections.
Javid Baig of the National Conference won the Baramulla seat with an 11,773-vote margin, while Irfan Hafiz Lone from Congress claimed victory in Wagoora-Kreeri, defeating two-time MLA Syed Basharat Bukhari by 7,751 votes. Lone played a crucial role in uniting the Congress-NC alliance in the constituency.
In a closely contested race, former minister Raman Bhalla lost the RS Pura-Jammu South constituency to BJP’s Dr. Narinder Singh Raina by a mere 1,966 votes, despite initially leading in the early trends. Pirzada Farooq Ahmed Shah of JKNC secured victory in Gulmarg with a 4,191-vote margin, defeating JAKAP’s Ghulam Hassan Mir. As the dust settles on this election, the results highlight a shifting political landscape in Jammu and Kashmir, with established parties like the NC and Congress regaining ground while others face significant losses.
