National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah is set to return as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir with his party's alliance with the Congress looking set to secure a comfortable majority in the Assembly elections, taking place in the Union Territory for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution in 2019.
The counting of votes began at 8 am at 28 counting centres for the 90 seats of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly which went to polls in three phases - September 18, September 25, and October 1.
Omar Abdullah, who was contesting from two seats - Budgam and Ganderbal, will be the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah announced as trends after multiple rounds of counting almost confirmed Congress-NC alliance's victory. Track Jammu and Kashmir Election Results LIVE Updates
Jammu and Kashmir voted for the assembly elections for the first time since 2014 as the central government's move of abrogating Article 370 of the Indian Constitution in 2019, stripping the erstwhile state of its special status and divided it into two Union Territories - J&K and Ladakh, deferred the polls indefinitely.
After the 2008 Jammu and Kashmir Elections, the National Conference won won formed a coalition government with the Congress party and Omar was sworn in as the 11th Chief Minister of the erstwhile in January 2009.
He became the youngest Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
2014 Jammu & Kashmir Elections Results
The 2014 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election was held in five phases from November 25 – December 20 that year, when the now-union territory was a state. The results were declared on December 23, 2014.
This was the last assembly election before the territory's special status was revoked with the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution and formation of two Union Territories - J&K and Ladakh.
In 2019, Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party (PDP) contested on 84 seats and won 28, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won fielded candidates on 75 seats, of which 25 won. The Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (NC) won 15 of the 85 seats it contested on, Congress candidates were in the fray in 86 seats, of which they won 12. The Jammu & Kashmir People's Conference won two of the 26 seats they fought on.
The BJP formed the government with the support of JJP while most Independents had also extended support to it then. However, JJP's post-poll tie-up with the BJP ended after the saffron party replaced Manohar Lal Khattar with Nayab Singh Saini as chief minister in March.
After "ironing out" ideological differences, the BJP and PDP formed a coalition government which took the oath of office on March 1, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as chief minister for the full term of six years and Nirmal Kumar Singh as his deputy.
After Mufti Mohammad Sayeed died of a heart attack in 2016, his daughter Mehbooba Mufti took the oath and became the first woman Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Mehbooba Mufti resigned in June 2018 after the BJP withdrew from the coalition. Before the next assembly elections could take place in 2019, the central government abrogated Article 370 of the Indian Constitution.
