With the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the dynamics of political parties in the valley got hugely affected. Since the time when J & K ruler finally decided to become part of India, it had been enjoying special status provided by the constitution of India. The special status of J&K became the Achilles heel of the Indian government, and Pakistan was capitalizing on it to bleed India whenever it wanted. Many pros and cons have been presented before the Indian government not only in domestic politics but also in international politics. But the Indian government did not succumb to pressure and emerged victorious by diluting the special status tag of a blue-blooded state.
Setting the dust in the valley, the National Conference and the Congress joined hands together to emerge victorious in the first assembly election that took place in Jammu and Kashmir after the abolition of Article 370. The NC and Congress alliance made a significant mark and won a decisive mandate to form the government. The comparison of Jammu and Kashmir state elections from the past presents the assembly election of 2024 as a peaceful and intensely competitive election by ignoring the voices of separatist parties of the valley, such as Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) Jamaat-e-Islami, which advocated to boycott it and proposed to field proxy candidates. Surprisingly, 5% more voter turnout has been registered in the assembly election from the 2024 general election.
Although the voter turnout in the assembly election is a bit lower than in 2014, it appears to be very significant this time because voters showed their allegiance to the mainstream political parties rather than the dissenting voices of separatist parties. More significantly, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has performed very poorly, as Party Supremo Mahbooba Mufti’s daughter, Iltija Mufti, lost her seat in a party stronghold. The reason being cited is that it is due to the evasive approach of the PDP from running away from the BJP alliance in the valley. The decision of forming an alliance with the BJP and running away from the alliance, both reasons went against the PDP, which cost very dearly because the PDP was restricted to three seats in the valley.
Now, when the assembly election is over and the NC-Congress alliance is gearing up to form the government, the challenges are due to be tackled that echo in the entire election campaign, such as the restoration of statehood to J&K. This condition has also been promised by the center that the statehood would be granted to the valley, but the revival of Article 370 appears to be out of consideration. In this context, the apex court has already put a closure to this case. Therefore, it could be understood as the final status of Jammu and Kashmir in the current political scenario.