Anticipation and fervor fill the political arena of Jammu and Kashmir as the counting of votes for the 90 assembly constituencies started today in the Union Territory.
While political parties (including BJP, Congress, JKPDP, JKNC, among others) have affirmed significant gains in this electoral battle, the 2024 results are considered particularly significant as they are being held post the abrogation of Article 370, and will decide the fate of a few key players.
As the counting begins for all 90 seats, this article focuses on the major details related to the Pulwama Assembly Constituency.
PDP's Waheed ur Rehman Para takes lead
According to the early trends released by the Election Commission of India, Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party's (JKPDP) Waheed ur Rehman Para is leading against Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) party candidate Mohammad Khalil Band.
Significantly, the former is leading with 1658 votes from the seat.
Who Won the Seat in the 2014 and 2008 Elections
In the 2014 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections, JKPDP candidate Mohammad Khalil Band won the Pulwama seat with a margin of 1,032 votes, securing 11,631 votes (38.55% of the total vote share). He defeated JKNC candidate Ghulam Nabi Wani, who received 10,599 votes (35.13%). The JKPDF candidate Abdul Quyoom Mir was third with 1,850 votes (6.13%), while independent candidate Sana Ullah Dar was fourth with 1,760 votes (5.83%). The total number of votes polled was 30,183 (38.12%).
In the 2008 elections, JKPDP candidate Mohammad Khalil Band won the seat with 10,639 votes, capturing 36.45% of the vote share. Independent candidate Sana Ullah Dar came in second with 4,003 votes (13.71%), losing to Band by a margin of 6,636 votes. The total number of votes polled in this constituency was 29,237 (40.91%). JKNC candidate Ghulam Nabi Wani finished third with 3,246 votes (11.12%), and independent candidate Mohammad Maqbool Bhat came fourth with 3,202 votes (10.97%).
