This elections results 2024 of Jammu and Kashmir marks the first election for Jammu and Kashmir as a Union Territory since its reorganization in 2019, when its special status was revoked and it was divided into two Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. This General Election is also significant as it follows the dissolution of the previously elected Assembly.
Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Candidate Aga Syed Ruhullah has won from Srinagar constituency defeating Waheed Ur Rehman Para of Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party with a margin of 188416 votes.
Bharatiya Janata Party Candidate DR JITENDRA SINGH has won from UDHAMPUR constituency defeating CH LAL SINGH of Indian National Congress Party with a margin of 124373 votes while Jugal Kishore Sharma won Jammu-Reasi seat trouncing Raman Bhalla of Congress with 1,35,498 votes. Both of them won the seats for third consecutive term having been elected to Lok Sabha in 2014 and 2019 as well.
The Baramulla Parliamentary constituency where the close contest was expected between Abdullah and former minister and Peoples Conference (PC) leader Sajjad Gani Lone, however, witnessed a different scene as the Independent candidate and a jailed leader Er Rasheed emerged victorious from the seat. Sheikh leads the Awami Ittehad Party, but he chose to contest as an Independent candidate. He bagged 472481 votes and defeated his close rival Omar Abdullah by a margin of 204142 votes, who secured a total of 268339 votes while Sajjad Lone got only 173239 votes.
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president and another former Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, also lost to NC candidate Mian Altaf Ahmad, by a huge margin of over 2.8 lakh votes from Anantnag-Rajouri constituency while the NC leader Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi defeated PDP candidate Waheed Ur Rehman Para from Srinagar by a margin of over 1.8 lakh votes.
Despite the strong performance of the INDIA alliance, Prime Minister Modi’s BJP-led coalition is on track to secure a third consecutive term, though without the overwhelming majority anticipated by various exit polls. Current results and trends suggest that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will win 291 Lok Sabha seats, while the INDIA alliance is expected to secure 234 seats.
The outcome of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections presents a stark reality for the BJP, which seems to be falling short of the majority mark of 272 seats, even though the ruling coalition is prepared to form the government. This marks a significant change from the BJP’s dominant performance in 2019, when it won 303 seats on its own and the NDA surpassed the 350-seat mark.
General Election to Parliamentary Constituencies: Trends & Results 2024 Jammu and Kashmir
As counting of votes for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls is underway, the National Conference and Bharatiya Janata Party are ahead in two seats each in Jammu and Kashmir, show early results.
According to data released by Chief Election Officer J&K, the NC is leading in Srinagar and Anantnag-Rajouri seat, while the BJP is leading in Jammu and Udhampur seats.
The data shows that independent candidate Er Rashid is leading in Baramulla constituency against National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah, while People’s Conference chairman Sajad Lone is at the third spot.
Main Altaf of NC is leading against People’s Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti in Anantnag-Rajouri, while NC’s Aga Ruhullah is leading against PDP’s Waheed Para.
Union minister Dr Jitendra Singh is leading against Congress’ Choudhary Lal Singh in Jammu, while Jugal Kishar of BJP is leading against Raman Bhalla of Congress in Jammu constituency.
Udhampur: BJP workers celebrate as Jitendra Singh maintains lead
BJP’s Jitendra Singh leads with 4.83 lakh votes in the Udhampur seat, with INC’s Ch. Lal Singh trailing by 1.09 lakh votes.
Scenes of celebration were seen outside the Kathua counting centres as counting progresses.
PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti Concedes Defeat in Anantnag-Rajouri
In the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency, National Conference’s Mian Altaf Ahmad leads with a significant margin of over 250,000 votes against PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti. Accepting the results, Ms. Mufti congratulated Mr. Ahmad and thanked her supporters, saying, “Respecting the verdict of the people, I thank my PDP workers and leaders for their hard work and support despite all the odds. My deepest gratitude to the people who voted for me. Winning and losing is part of the game and won’t deter us from our path,” she wrote on X. In Srinagar, NC’s Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi is ahead by 158,000 votes, while the BJP is leading in Udhampur and Jammu.
Who is Mian Altaf Ahmad?
Mian Altaf Ahmad, the NC candidate leading in Anantnag-Rajouri, is a Gujjar cleric from a family of shrine caretakers in Kangan, central Kashmir. This shrine is a key religious site for the Gujjar community. Ahmad, who has never lost the Kangan Assembly elections over the past two decades, is a strong presence within his community. The NC, part of the INDIA bloc, considers him a crucial candidate in this election.
NC’s Omar Abdullah Congratulates Engineer Rashid
Independent candidate Abdul Rashid Sheikh, known as Engineer Rashid, is leading in Baramulla by over 120,000 votes against NC’s Omar Abdullah. Rashid, who was arrested by the National Investigation Agency just before the revocation of Article 370 in 2019, is currently in Delhi’s Tihar Jail on charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Despite the results not being officially declared, Mr. Abdullah congratulated Mr. Sheikh, expressing doubt that Rashid’s victory would expedite his release or improve representation for North Kashmir, but acknowledging the voters’ choice.
Who is Engineer Rashid? Five Facts About the Jailed Leader
- Abdul Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, is in Tihar Jail for a terror-funding case.
- He is a former two-time MLA and leads the Awami Ittehad Party, though he ran as an Independent in this election.
- Rashid was the first mainstream leader arrested under UAPA by the NIA in 2019.
- His sons, Abrar and Asrar Rashid, led his campaign, hoping large rally turnouts would secure his release.
- Rashid won the Langate assembly seat in 2008 and 2014 and unsuccessfully ran in the 2019 parliamentary elections.
Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/
