SRINAGAR: As the poll count trends show, the National Conference-Congress alliance is leading in 52 out of 90 Assembly seats. J&K’s grand old party, the NC, has performed exceptionally well and is leading in 43 seats.
Going by the trend, it will be the first time since 1996 that any party crosses the 40 mark in the J&K Assembly. The NC, which faced severe criticism from BJP leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, during the poll campaign, has performed remarkably.
The party contested only 51 seats in alliance with Congress, and there was a friendly fight between the two alliance partners on five seats. If the party manages to turn the leads into seats and wins 43 seats, it will achieve a high strike rate. So far, the party has won one seat and is leading in 42.
The NC, which has vowed to fight for the restoration of Article 370 and statehood, focused its campaign in both Kashmir and Jammu on the abrogation of J&K’s statehood and how it has hurt the people of both regions. The party’s election campaign was led by Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar Abdullah, and MPs Aga Ruhullah and Mian Altaf.
It seems that the party’s appeal has resonated well with all sections of society, leading to strong support at the polls. The NC has performed well both in its stronghold in the Valley and in the Jammu region, leading in 35 out of 47 seats in Kashmir and also taking leads in eight seats across Poonch, Rajouri, Ramban, and Kishtwar districts.
The NC’s alliance partner, Congress, is so far leading in eight seats, while CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami is leading in the Kulgam seat. Through its aggressive campaigning, the NC also countered the threat from Engineer Rashid, who won the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat by defeating Omar Abdullah by over two lakh votes.
The magic of Rashid, who was released on bail a few days before the polls to campaign for the Assembly elections, seems to have waned. Even his brother, Khursheed Ahmed Sheikh, who quit his government job to contest, is trailing in the Langate Assembly seat.
It was expected that Rashid would continue to gain sympathy votes in the Assembly elections, as he did in the Lok Sabha polls. However, accusations from other parties that he is a BJP proxy have severely impacted his party's chances.
The PDP has also been pushed to the margins by the voters, leading in only two seats. Even party president and former J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter, Iltija Mufti, is trailing in her party’s stronghold of Bijbehara constituency in South Kashmir.
It appears that voters are still angry with the PDP for its alliance with the BJP after the 2014 Assembly polls. In 2014, the PDP sought votes against the BJP but then formed a government with the saffron party.
People and political parties in the Valley blame the PDP for the abrogation of Article 370 and the downgrading of J&K state into two Union Territories, arguing that if the Muftis had not aligned with the BJP in 2014, things would have been different.
Mehbooba has faced criticism for her handling of the unrest in the Valley following the killing of Hizb commander Burhan Wani on July 8, 2016.
Her “coffee and toffee” remarks regarding civilian killings have not been forgiven by the public, as she justified civilian deaths by stating that those killed in security forces firing had not gone out to “buy milk and toffees.”
The BJP continues to remain a Jammu-specific party, having won one seat and leading in 27 others, all in the Jammu region. The party won 25 Assembly seats, all in the Jammu region, in the 2014 polls.
