SRINAGAR: Election Commission’s announcement to hold assembly elections in J&K after a decade-long gap has sparked optimism, with parties such as Mehbooba Mufti’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Farooq Abdullah’s National Conference (NC) showing signs of a potential shift in their stand on participating in the electoral process.
Until recently, both former CM Mehbooba and NC’s Omar Abdullah had maintained firm positions, stating they would not participate in any elections until J&K’s statehood, stripped after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, was restored.However, EC’s announcement of elections in three phases from Sept 18 to Oct 1 appears to have altered the political landscape.
PDP insiders suggested that Mehbooba is also likely to reconsider her decision to stay away from the elections, as pressure mounts from her party cadre urging her to participate.
For his part, NC president Farooq Abdullah asked the party cadre to gear up for the polls, emphasising the need to strengthen its grassroots base. “We are committed to overall development of J&K,” he said Saturday in Jammu, while welcoming J&K BJP’s OBC wing general secretary and others into the NC fold.
His son Omar had posted an image of his inked index finger on X, captioned: “The indelible ink mark from the recent elections hasn’t gone & we are back in election mode. Bring it on! We are ready!”
Speaking to the media, Omar acknowledged the immense pressure from within his party to join the electoral race, citing concerns about the health of his father Farooq, who continues to lead NC despite advancing age and health challenges. “If I choose not to contest the assembly elections, there is a concern that he might be compelled to contest,” he said.
Despite the presence of over 40 political parties in J&K, including Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), many of these parties lack the organisational strength and visibility of PDP and NC, making the upcoming elections a critical battleground for the region’s dominant players.
During the recent Lok Sabha polls, BJP had asked Kashmiris to vote for any candidate other than the ‘dynastic troika’ of NC, PDP and Congress. However, the results were surprising. BJP retained two seats in Jammu but failed in Kashmir and Ladakh. Omar lost to jailed independent candidate Engineer Rashid and Mufti to NC’s Mian Altaf, but Farooq Abdullah’s party still won two of the three LS seats in Kashmir.
(inputs from Sanjay Khajuria in Jammu)
Until recently, both former CM Mehbooba and NC’s Omar Abdullah had maintained firm positions, stating they would not participate in any elections until J&K’s statehood, stripped after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, was restored.However, EC’s announcement of elections in three phases from Sept 18 to Oct 1 appears to have altered the political landscape.
PDP insiders suggested that Mehbooba is also likely to reconsider her decision to stay away from the elections, as pressure mounts from her party cadre urging her to participate.
For his part, NC president Farooq Abdullah asked the party cadre to gear up for the polls, emphasising the need to strengthen its grassroots base. “We are committed to overall development of J&K,” he said Saturday in Jammu, while welcoming J&K BJP’s OBC wing general secretary and others into the NC fold.
His son Omar had posted an image of his inked index finger on X, captioned: “The indelible ink mark from the recent elections hasn’t gone & we are back in election mode. Bring it on! We are ready!”
Speaking to the media, Omar acknowledged the immense pressure from within his party to join the electoral race, citing concerns about the health of his father Farooq, who continues to lead NC despite advancing age and health challenges. “If I choose not to contest the assembly elections, there is a concern that he might be compelled to contest,” he said.
Despite the presence of over 40 political parties in J&K, including Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), many of these parties lack the organisational strength and visibility of PDP and NC, making the upcoming elections a critical battleground for the region’s dominant players.
During the recent Lok Sabha polls, BJP had asked Kashmiris to vote for any candidate other than the ‘dynastic troika’ of NC, PDP and Congress. However, the results were surprising. BJP retained two seats in Jammu but failed in Kashmir and Ladakh. Omar lost to jailed independent candidate Engineer Rashid and Mufti to NC’s Mian Altaf, but Farooq Abdullah’s party still won two of the three LS seats in Kashmir.
(inputs from Sanjay Khajuria in Jammu)
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