2014 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election

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2014 Jammu and Kashmir state assembly elections

← 2008 25 November to 20 December 2014 2022 →

All 87 seats in Legislative Assembly
44 seats needed for a majority
Registered7,316,946
Turnout65.91% (Increase4.75%)
  First party Second party Third party
  Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.jpg Dr. Nirmal Singh.png Omar Abdullah (cropped).jpg
Leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Nirmal Kumar Singh Omar Abdullah
Party JKPDP BJP Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
Leader's seat Anantnag Billawar Beerwah, Sonawar(lost)
Last election 21 11 28
Seats won 28 25 15
Seat change Increase7 Increase14 Decrease 13
Percentage 22.7% 23.0% 20.8%
Swing Increase 7.31% Increase 10.55% Decrease 2.27%

  Fourth party
  Ghulam Nabi Azad official.jpg
Leader Ghulam Nabi Azad
Party INC
Last election 17
Seats won 12
Seat change Decrease 5
Percentage 18.0%
Swing Increase 0.29%

Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election 2014.png

Chief Minister before election

Omar Abdullah
JKCN
(in coalition with the INC)

Elected Chief Minister

Mufti Mohammad Sayeed
PDP
(in coalition with the BJP)

Seat wise party share:
  People's Democratic Party (PDP): 28 seats
  Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP): 25 seats
  National Conference (NC): 15 seats
  Indian National Congress (INC): 12 seats
Other parties: 7 seats

The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election, 2014 was held in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir in five phases from 25 November – 20 December 2014. Voters elected 87 members to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, which ends its six-year term on 19 January 2015. The results were declared on 23 December 2014.[1][2] Voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) along with EVMs were used in 3 assembly seats out of 87 in Jammu Kashmir elections.[3][4][5]

Background and campaign[edit]

Before the election, Indian National Congress broke its alliance with Jammu and Kashmir National Conference and contested on all seats in the assembly.[6]

Campaigning before the elections were aggressive and robust. Following the huge victory of Bharatiya Janata Party in the Indian parliamentary election, the BJP turned its attention towards J&K and campaigned on the promise of 'development'. This included a visit from the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi in support of the local BJP campaign.

Boycott Calls[edit]

  • Hardline separatist All Parties Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani had appealed to people of Kashmir to boycott the 2014 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections completely, arguing that "India has been holding elections in the Valley using the power of the gun and so such an exercise is not legitimate." He added, "My appeal to the youth, in particular, is that the sacrifices rendered by the people must be safeguarded and, hence, in no way should vote during elections."[7][8]
  • Separatists were propagating the poll boycott campaign through video clips on social networking sites and applications, including Facebook and WhatsApp.[7]
  • A four-minute video clip has gone viral on social sites with messages of chairmen of both hardline and moderate factions of Hurriyat Conference and Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief Asiya Andrabi. The video message sent through WhatsApp and shared on Facebook and Twitter asked the people to boycott the coming polls.[7]
  • Video also showed Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani addressing a gathering via phone urging youth not to undermine the mission of 'martyrs'. Moderate Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is seen posing for the camera with the appeal that polls must be boycotted 'en masse'.[7]

Despite these calls, voter turnout in the 2014 elections instead increased by 4%, from roughly 61% in the previous election to 65%.

Voting[edit]

The polls were carried out in five phases. Despite several boycott calls by hurriyat leaders, elections recorded highest voters turnout in last 25 years. Voters turnout was more than 65% which is higher than usual voting percentage in other states of India.[9][10][11][12]

Voting stages
Date Seats Turnout
Tuesday 25 November 15 71.28%
Tuesday 2 December 18 71%
Tuesday 9 December 16 58.89%
Sunday 14 December 18 49%
Saturday 20 December 20 76%
Total 87 65.23%
Source:[13][14][15][16][17]

The European Parliament, on the behalf of European Union, welcomed the smooth conduct of the State Legislative Elections in the Jammu and Kashmir.[18] The EU in its message said that, "The high voter turnout figure proves that democracy is firmly rooted in India. The EU would like to congratulate India and its democratic system for conduct of fair elections, unmarred by violence, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir".[18][19][20] The European Parliament also takes cognizance of the fact that a large number of Kashmiri voters turned out despite calls for the boycott of elections by certain separatist forces.[19] However, elected Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed said, "If God forbid the Hurriyat and the militants tried to disrupt the elections there would not have been as participative as they had been. They (Pakistan) also allowed these elections to take place." Ruling Party president Mehbooba Mufti also defended Mufti's remarks.[21] While taking a dig at Mufti's statement former Chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said that, "In fact, Pakistan and militant groups tried their best to destabilize the democratic process in the state."[22][23]

Results[edit]

e • d 
Party Seats Previously +/– Vote % Vote Share
People's Democratic Party 28 21 +7 22.7% 10,92,203
Bharatiya Janata Party 25 11 +14 23.0% 11,07,194
National Conference 15 28 -13 20.8% 10,00,693
Indian National Congress 12 17 -5 18.0% 8,67,883
Jammu & Kashmir People's Conference 2 0 +2 1.9%
Communist Party of India (Marxist) 1 1 0 0.5%
Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Front 0 0 0
Jammu & Kashmir National Panthers Party 0 3 -3
People's Democratic Front 1 1 0 - -
Jammu & Kashmir Democratic Party Nationalist 0 1 -1 %
Independents 3 4 -1 %
Total (turnout 65.23%) 87 87 - -
Valid votes 48,17,981 99.90
Invalid votes 4,795 0.10
Votes cast / turnout 48,22,776 65.91
Abstentions 24,94,170 34.09
Registered voters 73,16,946
Source:Election Commission of India[24]

PDP became the single largest party with 28 seats. BJP became the second largest party with 25 seats.[25]

Omar Abdullah resigned as a chief minister on 24 December 2014.[26]

Elected Members[edit]

Constituency Reserved for
(SC/None)
Member Party Region
Karnah None Raja Manzoor Ahmad Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party Kashmir Division
Kupwara None Bashir Ahmad Dar Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference
Lolab None Abdul Haq Khan Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party
Handwara None Sajad Gani Lone Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference
Langate None Abdul Rashid Sheikh Independent
Uri None Mohammad Shafi Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
Rafiabad None Yawar Ahmad Mir Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party
Sopore None Abdul Rashid Dar Indian National Congress
Gurez None Nazir Ahmad Khan Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
Bandipora None Usman Abdul Majid Indian National Congress
Sonawari None Mohammad Akbar Lone Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
Sangrama None Syed Basharat Ahmed Bukhari Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party
Baramulla None Javid Hassan Baig Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party
Gulmarg None Mohd. Abass Wani Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party
Pattan None Imran Raza Ansari Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party
Kangan None Altaf Ahmad Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
Ganderbal None Ishfaq Ahmad Sheikh Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
Hazratbal None Asiea Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party
Zadibal None Abid Hussain Ansari Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party
Eidgah None Mubarik Ahmad Gul Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
Khanyar None Ali Mohd Sagar Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
Habba Kadal None Shamim Firdous Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
Amira Kadal None Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party
Sonawar None Mohammad Ashraf Mir Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party
Batmaloo None Noor Mohd Sheikh Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party
Chadoora None Javaid Mustafa Mir Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party
Budgam None Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
Beerwah None Omar Abdullah Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
Khan Sahib None Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen Shah Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Front
Chrar-i-sharief None Ghulam Nabi Lone Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party
Tral None Mushtaq Ahmad Shah Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party
Pampore None Zahoor Ahmad Mir Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party
Pulwama None Mohd. Khalil Band Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party
Rajpora None Haseeb A Drabu Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party
Wachi None Aijaz Ahmad Mir Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party
Shopian None Mohd Yousuf Bhat Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party
Noorabad None Abdul Majid Padder Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party
Kulgam None Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami Communist Party of India
Hom Shali Bugh None Ab. Majeed Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
Anantnag None Mufti Mohd Sayeed Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party
Devsar None Mohammad Amin Bhat Indian National Congress
Dooru None Syed Farooq Ahmad Andrabi Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party
Kokernag None Abdul Rahim Rather Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party
Shangus None Gulzar Ahmad Wani Indian National Congress
Bijbehara None Abdul Rehman Bhat Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party
Pahalgam None Altaf Ahmad Wani Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
Nubra None Deldan Namgail Indian National Congress Ladakh
Leh None Nawang Rigzin Indian National Congress
Kargil None Asgar Ali Karbalaie Indian National Congress
Zanskar None Syed Mohammad Baqir Rizvi Independent
Kishtwar None Sunil Kumar Sharma Bharatiya Janata Party Jammu Division
Inderwal None Ghulam Mohd Saroori Indian National Congress
Doda None Shakti Raj Bharatiya Janata Party
Bhaderwah None Daleep Singh Bharatiya Janata Party
Ramban SC Neelam Kumar Langeh Bharatiya Janata Party
Banihal None Vikar Rasool Wani Indian National Congress
Gulab Garh None Mumtaz Ahmed Indian National Congress
Reasi None Ajay Nanda Bharatiya Janata Party
Gool Arnas None Ajaz Ahmed Khan Indian National Congress
Udhampur None Pawan Kumar Gupta Independent
Chenani SC Dina Nath Bharatiya Janata Party
Ram Nagar None Ranbir Singh Pathania Bharatiya Janata Party
Bani None Jewan Lal Bharatiya Janata Party
Basohli None Lal Singh Bharatiya Janata Party
Kathua None Rajiv Jasrotia Bharatiya Janata Party
Billawar None Dr. Nirmal Kumar Singh Bharatiya Janata Party
Hira Nagar SC Kuldeep Raj Bharatiya Janata Party
Samba SC Devinder Kumar Manyal Bharatiya Janata Party
Vijay Pur None Chander Parkash Bharatiya Janata Party
Nagrota None Devender Singh Rana Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
Gandhi Nagar None Kavinder Gupta Bharatiya Janata Party
Jammu East None Rajesh Gupta Bharatiya Janata Party
Jammu West None Sat Paul Sharma Bharatiya Janata Party
Bishnah None Kamal Verma Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
Ranbir Singh Pura SC Dr. Gagan Bhagat Bharatiya Janata Party
Suchet Garh None Sham Lal Choudhary Bharatiya Janata Party
Marh None Sukhnandan Kumar Bharatiya Janata Party
Raipur Domana SC Bali Bhagat Bharatiya Janata Party
Akhnoor None Rajeev Sharma Bharatiya Janata Party
Chhamb SC Dr. Kirshan Lal Bharatiya Janata Party
Nowshera None Ravinder Raina Bharatiya Janata Party
Darhal None Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party
Rajouri None Qamar Hussain Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party
Kala Kote None Abdul Ghani Kohli Bharatiya Janata Party
Surankote None Ch Mohd Akram Indian National Congress
Mendhar None Javed Ahmed Rana Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
Poonch Haveli None Shah Mohd Tantray Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party

Government formation[edit]

Three days after the results, the JKNC approached the BJP for a meeting to try and form a government[citation needed]. As part of the deal, Nirmal Kumar Singh was to be the chief minister and JKNC's MLA Ali Mohammad Sagar was to be his deputy[citation needed]. The deal fell through after a revolt in the JKNC. The BJP also rejected this deal, citing morality issues[citation needed].

In the following days, the JKNC also announced its intention to support the PDP from outside by submitting a letter to the governor Narinder Nath Vohra after the dialogue with the BJP fell through. The PDP refused.

A week after the results, the PDP and the BJP officially started talks. Both parties had a two-member team to form a Common Minimum Programme (CMP). The PDP was represented by Naeem Akhtar and Haseeb Drabu, while Ram Madhav and Nirmal Kumar Singh represented the BJP. Minister of State in the PMO, Jitendra Singh, supervised the dialogue.

Omar Abdullah resigned as chief minister on 24 December. The Governor[who?] accepted his resignation but asked him to continue in an interim capacity until the formation of a new government. President's rule was imposed on 1 January 2015.

After dealing with issues, both parties turned their attention to the composition of the cabinet. The PDP was initially reluctant for a three-year rotation of the chief minister's post but later agreed. There were also issues related to the joining of the government by separatist-turned-politician Sajjad Lone. In the run-up to the election, he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and praised him by calling him "big brother." The BJP reciprocated by not running a candidate against Lone for the Handwara seat, from where he won, and got elected to the assembly for the first time.

Both parties announced on 25 February that the CMP was almost ready, in a joint press conference called by BJP national President Amit Shah and PDP President Mehbooba Mufti. They also stated that the ideological differences had been "ironed out" and both parties were now working on the formation of a cabinet. The dialogue between both parties ended successfully on 18 February - two months and 5 days after the beginning of talks.

The new PDP-BJP government took the oath of office on 1 March in the Zorawar Singh Stadium of Jammu, with Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as chief minister for the full term of six years and Nirmal Kumar Singh as his deputy. Modi was also present for the occasion. Twelve cabinet ministers from each party were also sworn-in. This was the first time that the BJP was a coalition partner in the Jammu and Kashmir government. Lone and independent MLA for Udhampur, Pawan Kumar Gupta, were also sworn-in as cabinet ministers from the BJP's quota.

The CMP was then released in a press conference. The CMP gave a vision of the "all-around development of Jammu and Kashmir" and "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas" (with everyone, everyone's development). Contentious issues like Article 370 and AFSPA would be referred to a high-power committee, with representation from both parties and civil society. The PDP also agreed to join the NDA's central, with Mehbooba Mufti's induction into the union cabinet, at a later date, and also support the Modi government in both houses of parliament.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. "EC announces five-phased polls in J&K, Jharkhand; counting on December 23 | Zee News". Zeenews.india.com. 26 October 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  2. "EC announces five phased polling for Jharkhand and J-K | Business Standard News". Business-standard.com. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2 February 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "Polls from Nov 25; results on Dec 23". Archived from the original on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  5. "5-phase polls in J&K, J'khand from Nov 25". Dailypioneer.com. 26 October 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  6. "Congress divorces National Conference after five and half years of marriage". dna. 21 July 2014. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 "J&K separatists call for poll boycott". Deccan Herald. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  8. "Syed Ali Shah Geelani's J&K election boycott call resonates in his hometown Sopore - IBNLive". Ibnlive.in.com. 3 December 2014. Archived from the original on 4 December 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  9. "J & K records historic polling percentage: EC". The Hindu. 20 December 2014.
  10. "Jammu and Kashmir registers highest voter turnout in 25 years, Jharkhand breaks records". Deccanchronicle.com. 23 December 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  11. "J&K polls: 76 per cent voter turnout recorded in the final phase - IBNLive". Ibnlive.in.com. 20 December 2014. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  12. "Jammu and Kashmir Registers Highest Voter Turnout in 25 Years, Jharkhand Breaks Records". Ndtv.com. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  13. "Impressive turnout in J&K and Jharkhand". The Hindu. 25 November 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  14. "J&K assembly polls: Voters defy separatists' election boycott call, 71.28% turnout in first phase". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 25 November 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  15. "71% voting recorded in 2nd phase of Jammu & Kashmir poll". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 2 December 2014.
  16. "Polls in the Shadow of Terror: 58% People Vote in Jammu and Kashmir". NDTV. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  17. "Braving bullets 58% cast ballot in Jammu and Kashmir, 61% voting in Jharkhand in third phase of elections". dna India. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  18. 18.0 18.1 "The European Parliament Welcomes the Elections in Jammu & Kashmir - BRUSSELS, December 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/". Prnewswire.com. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  19. 19.0 19.1 "European Parliament welcomes elections in Jammu and Kashmir | Business Standard News". Business-standard.com. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  20. "EU hails huge turnout in J&K". Dailyexcelsior.com. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  21. "Mehbooba defends Mufti's remarks on Pakistan". The Hindu. 2 March 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  22. "Azad slams Mufti remark, asks BJP to explain". Greater Kashmir. 1 March 2015. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  23. "Congress' Azad slams CM Mufti's remark, asks BJP to explain". Firstpost. 1 March 2015. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  24. "Jammu & Kashmir 2014". Election Commission of India. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  25. "2014 Assembly Election Results of Jammu & Kasmir / Jharkhand". Election Commission of India. Archived from the original on 23 December 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  26. "Omar Abdullah resigns as J&K CM, says onus of govt formation on PDP, BJP". The Times of India. 24 December 2014. Retrieved 25 December 2014.

External links[edit]

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