Srinagar, Oct 8: In the recent Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections, the record presence of Independent candidates in the Kashmir Valley did not translate into substantial electoral success. Despite a significant number of Independents contesting, only two managed to secure victories, highlighting the continuing dominance of major regional parties. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had fielded candidates in 19 constituencies across the Valley, failed to make an impact, falling short of its goal to establish a foothold in the region. The party’s closest race occurred in the Gurez constituency, where its candidate, Faqir Mohammad, was narrowly defeated by the National Conference’s Nazir Ahmad Gurezi by a margin of 1,132 votes.
The elections also saw other political groups, including Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) and Altaf Bukhari’s Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP), failing to secure any seats in the Valley. Newer parties formed after the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, such as the Jammu and Kashmir United Front and the Jammu and Kashmir Nationalist People’s Front, also struggled to gain electoral traction. This election marked the first in a decade and was the inaugural poll since the constitutional changes in 2019, emphasizing the evolving political landscape of the region.
The 2024 elections witnessed the second-highest number of Independent candidates in Kashmir’s electoral history, surpassed only by the 2008 elections, which saw 465 such candidates. In this recent election, around 40% of the total 873 candidates were Independents, with an average of five per constituency in the 47 Assembly segments of Kashmir. The high number of Independent candidates prompted allegations from parties like the National Conference (NC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), which claimed that many of these Independents were proxies for the BJP.
In Sopore, a constituency with a history of militancy and election boycotts, 22 candidates contested, including 14 Independents. One of the most notable Independents, Ajaz Guru—the brother of Afzal Guru, executed for his involvement in the 2001 Parliament attack—was defeated by NC’s Irshad Rasool Kar, who won by a massive margin of 26,846 votes. Ajaz Guru only managed to secure 129 votes, illustrating the limited influence of such candidates despite their significant presence.
In the Sonawari constituency, which had 20 candidates including 11 Independents, NC’s Hilal Akbar Lone emerged victorious, defeating Independent candidate Yasir Reshi by 13,744 votes. Similarly, in the Ganderbal constituency, NC vice president Omar Abdullah secured victory against PDP’s Bashir Ahmad Mir, despite the presence of seven Independents, including jailed separatist leader Sarjan Ahmad Wagay (known as Barkati), who garnered just 438 votes.
Among the few successful Independent candidates was Khursheed Ahmad Sheikh, brother of Engineer Rashid and Member of Parliament from North Kashmir. Khursheed won the Langate Assembly seat by defeating People’s Conference candidate Irfan Sultan Pandithpuri by 1,602 votes. Another victorious Independent, Shabir Ahmad Kullay, a former NC leader, won the Shopian seat by a margin of 1,207 votes against NC’s Sheikh Mohammad Rafi.
Veteran CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami claimed the Kulgam seat for the fifth consecutive time, defeating Jamaat-e-Islami-backed Sayar Ahmad Reshi by 7,838 votes—the largest margin in his political career. Meanwhile, People’s Conference leader Sajjad Gani Lone, who contested from both Kupwara and Handwara, won only in Handwara, narrowly beating NC’s Chowdhury Mohammad Ramzan by 662 votes. In Kupwara, Lone was defeated by PDP’s Mir Mohammad Fayaz by a substantial margin of 20,316 votes.
Several prominent political figures faced setbacks. JKAP president Syed Altaf Bukhari lost the Chanpora constituency to NC’s Mushtaq Ahmad Guroo by 5,688 votes. Similarly, JK People’s Democratic Front (Secular) president Hakeem Yaseen lost his stronghold of Khansahib to NC’s Saifuddin Bhat by 11,614 votes. Yaseen also suffered defeat in the Char-i-Sharief constituency, where he was beaten by NC’s Abdul Rahim Rather by 31,556 votes.
In Uri, former J&K Minister Taj Mohiuddin, who left DPAP to run as an Independent, was defeated by NC’s Sajjad Shafi with a margin of 14,469 votes. Similarly, former Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig, running as an Independent in Baramulla, lost to NC’s Javid Hassan Baig by 16,651 votes.
The overall results reaffirmed the dominance of established parties like the National Conference and CPI(M) in the Kashmir region, while the emergence of new political groups and numerous Independent candidates had little effect on the electoral balance. Despite the BJP’s efforts and a notable presence of Independents, the traditional parties maintained their influence, reflecting a continuity in the region’s political dynamics.