Srinagar: The National Conference-Congress alliance appears poised to form the government in Jammu and Kashmir, with Tuesday’s poll trends showing the coalition leading in 48 of the 90 seats, while the BJP is ahead in 29.
The National Conference has secured three seats so far, while the BJP has won four.
According to the Election Commission’s data, the PDP is leading in three seats, Sajad Gani Lone’s Peoples Conference in one, and Independents are ahead in seven seats.
The trends indicate the National Conference is leading in 42 seats, with its ally Congress ahead in six.
Omar Abdullah, National Conference’s vice president, cautioned against tampering with the voters’ mandate, urging transparency in the process.
“There must be transparency. No meddling with the people’s mandate should occur. If the people’s decision is against the BJP, the BJP should not resort to any ‘jugaad’ or underhanded methods,” Abdullah told reporters in Srinagar.
He added that both the Raj Bhavan and the central government should respect the people’s decision, just as they did in the Parliamentary elections.
Omar Abdullah himself is leading by over 8,500 votes in the Budgam constituency after seven rounds of counting and holds a lead of 5,000 votes in the Ganderbal constituency after six rounds.
National Conference leader Nazir Ahmad Khan secured his fourth consecutive victory in the Gurez assembly segment, defeating BJP’s Faqeer Mohammad Khan by 1,132 votes.
“I have worked for the people here, and neither Ram Madhav nor the defense minister did,” Khan was quoted as saying in PTI report.
In Jammu’s Kathua district, BJP’s Darshan Kumar defeated Congress leader Choudhary Lal Singh in Basholi, while NC youth president Salman Sagar won the Hazratbal seat by defeating PDP’s Asiea Naqash by more than 10,000 votes.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter, Iltija Mufti, who is trailing by around 5,000 votes to NC’s Bashir Ahmad Veeri in Srigufwara-Bijbehara, acknowledged the people’s verdict.
Tarigami, a leader from the CPI(M), commented on the trends, saying that the people’s vote is clearly against the BJP and its policies. He emphasized that J-K has been under bureaucratic and LG rule since 2018, without representation, and that a new secular government would bring much-needed relief.
“The people have voted decisively against the policies of recent years. I am hopeful that secular parties will come together to form the government,” he added.
When asked if Mehbooba Mufti would join the NC-Congress alliance, Tarigami expressed hope that all non-BJP parties would unite to form a secular alternative.
Responding to the JK LG nominating five MLAs to the assembly, Tarigami labeled the move “undemocratic,” emphasising that such nominations should come through recommendations from an elected government, not from an unelected LG.
The counting of votes began at 8 AM across 28 centers for the 90 constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir, following a three-phase election.
