Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir plunged into an intense poll battle as political parties launched extensive election campaigns to woo voters in the wake of state assembly elections 2024. The UT is seeing poll activities almost after a drought of six years. There are four major parties - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Jammu and Kashmir. In the last few decades, NC and PDP have had the upper hand in the state elections. However, in 2014, the BJP surprised many by winning 25 seats. Later, it formed government, for the first time in Jammu and Kashmir, after forming an unusual alliance with PDP. Though, Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah's NC has been out of power since January 2015, still, father-son duo's party is a front-runner in the upcoming assembly election as it, recently, forged a pre-poll alliance with Congress.
Abdullahs became CM for six times
The track record of NC also shows a bright electorate picture. In the assembly elections from 1962 to 2014, NC formed government in the state three times - with an absolute majority and two times a coalition government. Jammu and Kashmir saw CMs from three generations of the Abdullah family. Among them, party founder Sheikh Abdullah became the chief minister twice, current party president Farooq Abdullah three times and Umar Abdullah once.
History of National Conference (NC)
In 1932 Sheikh Abdullah and Chaudhary Ghulam Abbas formed the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference. In 1939, the name was changed to National Conference. The National Conference won 47 seats in 1977 to form a majority government under the leadership of Sheikh Abdullah who became the chief minister for the first time.
Subsequently, in the 1983 elections, NC won 46 seats and his son Farooq Abdullah became the CM for the second time (after the death of Sheikh Abdullah, Farooq Abdullah became the chief minister for the first time from 1982 to 1984). NC's outstanding poll performance continued in the assembly elections 1996. In 1996, NC formed a majority government by winning 57 out of 87 seats. The National Conference dominated the electoral arena for almost three decades in the Himalayan state.
Sheikh Abdullah tallest politician who became CM three times
In the 1972 assembly elections, the National Conference came to power by winning 47 seats out of 76 and Sheikh Abdullah remained the chief minister until March 1977. In the elections following the Governor's rule till July 1977, the National Conference once again won 46 out of 76 seats and Sheikh Abdullah got the CM post for the second time from July 9, 1977 to July 2, 1984 (till death).
From 1982 to 1984, his son Farooq Abdullah had been the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. In 1987 Farooq Abdullah's NC won 40 seats out of 76. He returned as the chief minister for the second time. After a long Governor's rule (from 1990 to 1996), the NC registered a record victory by winning 57 out of 87 seats in 1996 and Farooq Abdullah again took oath as the CM for the third time.
A deserted phase came for NC between 2002 and 2009 when the party remained out of power. This was the time when senior Abdullah started handing power in the party to his son Ombar Abdullah. During this period, Farooq Abdullah focused on Central politics. In the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly 2008 election, NC bounced back by winning 28 seats out of 87 and formed the government in a post-election alliance with the Congress, and Omar Abdullah became the chief minister of the state for the first time.
Meanwhile, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is going to polls in three phases on September 18, 25 and October 1. The counting of votes is scheduled for October 4.
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