2024 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election

2024 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election

18 September – 1 October 2024

90 seats in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly
48 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Turnout64.28% (1.63%)
  Majority party Minority party Third party
 
Leader Omar Abdullah Ravinder Raina Tariq Hameed Karra
Party JKNC BJP INC
Alliance I.N.D.I.A. NDA I.N.D.I.A.
Leader since 2009 2018 2024
Leader's seat Ganderbal
(won, retained)
Budgam
(won, vacated)
Nowshera
(lost)
Central Shalteng
(won)
Last election 20.77%, 15 seats 22.98%, 25 seats 18.01%, 12 seats
Seats won 42 29 6
Seat change 27 4 6
Popular vote 13,36,147 14,62,225 6,82,666
Percentage 23.43% 25.64% 11.97%
Swing 2.66% 2.66% 6.04%

  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Leader Mehbooba Mufti Sajjad Gani Lone Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami
Party JKPDP JKPC CPI(M)
Alliance I.N.D.I.A.
Leader since 2016 2015 1996
Leader's seat Did not contest Handwara
(won)
Kulgam
(won)
Last election 22.67%, 28 seats 1.93%, 2 seats 0.50%, 1 seat
Seats won 3 1 1
Seat change 25 1
Popular vote 5,05,498
Percentage 8.87% 0.59%
Swing 13.8% 0.09%


Structure of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly after the election

Chief Minister before election

President's rule

Elected Chief Minister

Omar Abdullah
JKNC

Legislative Assembly elections were held in Jammu and Kashmir from 18 September to 1 October 2024 in 3 phases to elect 90 members of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly. The results of the elections were announced on 8 October 2024. The INDIA alliance, consisting of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC), the Indian National Congress (INC), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)), and the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP), won a majority of seats in the election, winning 49 of the 90 seats for which elections were held, with the JKNC winning the highest number of seats.

This is the first assembly election in over a decade, and the first since the territory's special status was revoked, its statehood withdrawn, martial curfew imposed and over 300 political leaders detained or under house arrest in 2019. Indian government indefinitely suspended elections, for stabilizing the conditions in Kashmir Valley due to the decades long ongoing armed insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir. A Supreme Court plea challenging this was brought forward by Panthers Party in May 2023. In December 2023, the Supreme Court directed the Election Commission of India to restore the democratic process by 30 September 2024. The order also upheld the revocation of article 370 and deemed it to be within the laws set by the constitution. Foreign diplomats were allowed to observe the election but foreign journalists were kept out.

JKNC emerged as the single largest party, winning 42 seats in total, while BJP came second with 29 seats won. The INC won 6 seats, Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party (JKPDP) won 3 seats, while CPI(M), Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference and Aam Aadmi Party won one seat each. 7 seats were won by independent candidates. After BJP's 25.64% largest share of the popular vote, JKNC won the second largest share at 23.43%. The INC and JKPDP got 11.97% and 8.87% of the votes respectively, with remaining 30.09% going to other parties, independents and NOTA (none of the above). The JKNC's Omar Abdullah was sworn in as the union territory's first chief minister on 16 October.