Assembly election results: NC-Congress alliance crosses majority mark in Jammu and Kashmir

The National Conference-Congress alliance seems is all set to form government in Jammu and Kashmir as poll trends on Tuesday, October 8, indicated the alliance leading in 51 of the 90 assembly seats, already crossing the majority mark. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was ahead in 26 constituencies. With a majority mark of 46 seats, the alliance looks well-positioned to claim victory.

The counting of votes, which began at 8 a.m., signals the final chapter of a significant electoral process that is expected to restore an elected government in Jammu and Kashmir after a six-year hiatus. The region has been without a government since June 2018, when the coalition between the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and BJP collapsed, followed by the abrogation of Article 370, which stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status. 

These assembly elections—the first since 2014—were conducted in three phases. The first phase, on September 18, covered 24 seats, followed by 26 seats in the second phase on September 25, and 40 seats in the final phase on October 1. This election is also the first since Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into two union territories, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, in 2019.

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The key political contenders in the election are the Congress-National Conference alliance, the PDP, and the BJP. Amid intense speculation about possible post-election coalitions, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah hinted at a potential collaboration with Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP to secure a governing majority, if required.

In a separate development, Abdullah voiced strong opposition to the central government's decision to empower the Lieutenant Governor to nominate five members to the reserved seats in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly. Abdullah warned that such a move, which would increase the assembly's strength to 95 and raise the majority threshold to 48, would be legally challenged in the Supreme Court if the BJP-led government proceeds with it.