As vote counting for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections progresses, early trends from the Election Commission of India show the National Conference (NC)-Congress alliance crossing the halfway mark, leading in 47 seats as of 10:15 AM. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trailing, leading in 28 seats.
According to Election Commission data, 3 to 5 rounds of counting have been completed in nearly all 90 constituencies.
The political futures of several prominent leaders, including former ministers Tara Chand, Muzaffar Baig, Raman Bhalla, Basharat Bukha, Omar Abdullah, Ravinder Raina, and Yousuf Tarigami, remain uncertain.
Former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed optimism, stating that the NC-Congress alliance is in a strong position. He called on the BJP to respect the electoral outcome. “We have hope that we will win. The decision made by the voters of J&K will be clear by this afternoon. There should be transparency. If the people’s mandate is against BJP, they shouldn’t pull any tricks… We formed this alliance to win, and we are hopeful,” Abdullah said.
In Jammu, Congress candidate TS Tony from the Bahu Assembly seat voiced confidence in the alliance securing a two-thirds majority. He criticized the BJP, accusing it of ruining Jammu. “This was the city of temples. BJP made it the city of liquors. They say it’s for revenue generation… The people are frustrated with the liquor and land mafias. BJP is murdering democracy,” Tony said.
(With ANI input)