The Congress-NC alliance has taken the lead in the Jammu and Kashmir elections, surpassing the majority mark. Meanwhile, the BJP remains in contention, but the PDP is facing significant challenges.
According to the Election Commission’s latest trends, the Congress-National Conference alliance has crossed the majority mark in Jammu and Kashmir. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has mounted a strong challenge, Mehbooba Mufti’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP) appears to be losing ground, even in its traditional strongholds.
Iltija Mehbooba, daughter of PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, is trailing by 9,778 votes in the Srigufwara-Bijbehara seat. Bashir Ahmad Shah Veeri of the National Conference holds a commanding lead with 33,127 votes, maintaining a significant advantage over Iltija.
As of 2 p.m. on Tuesday, the National Conference-Congress alliance is leading in 47 seats, while the BJP is ahead in 29. The PDP has secured 1 seat and is leading in just 3.
Vote counting is still underway in most of the 90 constituencies, with several rounds remaining.
Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP is leading in 4 seats.
* Waheed Ur Rehman Para has won the Pulwama seat, defeating NC’s Khalil Band by a margin of 8,148 votes.
* In Kupwara, PDP candidate and former Rajya Sabha member Mohammad Fayaz holds a strong lead of 9,797 votes over National Conference provincial president Nasir Aslam Wani. People’s Conference president Sajad Gani Lone, contesting from both Kupwara and Handwara, is trailing in third place.
* Sartaj Madni holds a narrow lead of just 213 votes over NC’s Feroze Ahmad in Devsar after 8 of 21 rounds.
* In Tral, Ahmad Naik leads by 326 votes over Congress’s Surinder Singh after 11 of 19 rounds.
The results of this election will shape the future of the PDP, which last formed a government in 2014 in alliance with the BJP. Following Mufti Mohammed Sayeed’s death in 2016, Mehbooba Mufti took over as chief minister. However, the BJP withdrew its support in June 2018, leading to the imposition of governor’s rule in the state.
In August 2019, Jammu and Kashmir’s special status was revoked, and the region was split into two Union territories—Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir. This election marks the first assembly polls since the abrogation of Article 370.
