The newly-elected Jammu and Kashmir Assembly faced chaos on the first day after opposition member Waheed Parra of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) moved a resolution against the scrapping of Article 370.

The erstwhile state lost its special status and was bifurcated into two union territories after the Narendra Modi-led Union government abrogated Article 370 in August 2019.

Soon after Parra began reading the resolution, BJP lawmakers protested vehemently and created a din. The Speaker adjourned the House amid the uproar to meet again for Lieutenant Governor  Manoj Sinha’s address.

Jammu and Kashmir Assembly convened for its first session in six years on Monday, November 4, and will conclude on November 8. Besides the L-G’s address, the Assembly will take up obituary references for former legislators who have passed away since the last session of the erstwhile J&K Assembly. 

The Contentious Resolution

The Speaker of the House, Rahim Rather of the ruling National Conference, however, said he had not admitted any resolution as yet.

“This house opposes the revocation of special status of J&K and constitutional disempowerment of Jammu and Kashmir through the J&K reorganisation Act, 2-19 and calls for its complete rescinding,” the resolution reads.

“House further resolves to strive for the restoration of special status and all constitutional guarantees granted to Jammu and Kashmir in their original pristine form,” it read.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti congratulated Parra for moving the resolution. 

“Proud of Waheed Parra for introducing resolution in JK Assembly opposing the revocation of Article 370 and resolve to restore the special status. God bless you [sic],” she said in a post on X.

Who is Waheed Parra?

Waheed Parra, the MLA from Pulwama, lost the Lok Sabha Election 2024 from the Srinagar parliamentary seat. He is the President of PDP’s youth wing and was nominated as a Peace Fellow at the Yale International Leadership Centre in 2023 but could not attend as he was denied a passport. 

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Parra in a military-related case three days after he filed his nomination for the District Development Council (DDC) election from a Pulwama constituency in November 2020. He won the election from jail.

He was granted bail on January 9, 2021, but was again arrested outside the prison by Counter Intelligence Kashmir, a special cell of the J&K Police, for allegedly having links with militants and separatists. He was finally released on bail in June 2023. 

The Union government is likely to initiate the process of restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, five years after the erstwhile state was bifurcated into two Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has assured Chief Minister Omar Abdullah the centre’s full support to the newly elected government, a report in NDTV said quoting sources. Omar met Shah in Delhi on Wednesday.

“The meeting that lasted half an hour was held in a very cordial atmosphere. The home minister assured the centre’s full support to the newly elected government and to initiate the process of restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir,” the NDTV report quoted a source as saying.

Abdullah-led J&K cabinet passed a resolution demanding the restoration of statehood in its first cabinet meeting held last week.

Abdullah to meet PM Modi

Abdullah is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday and submit a copy of the resolution to him as well. The resolution also emphasises on the J&K government’s commitment to protect the identity and constitutional rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

The home minister assured the centre’s full support to the newly elected government.

Following the scrapping of Article 370 in August 2019, Jammu and Kashmir was downgraded to a UT.

Elections for the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly were held in three phases, from September 18 to October 1, resulting in the formation of a government by the National Conference-Congress alliance.

Before taking the oath, Omar Abdullah had said that the first task of his government would be to become the voice of the people. Earlier, Congress leader P Chidambaram had also expressed that ‘first task of the new government should be to demand the restoration of statehood to J-K’, and all the INDIA parties should support it.

People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti has said Jammu and Kashmir is bearing the brunt of the animosity between India and Pakistan. Reconciliation between the two nations is the only way to stop terror incidents in the Union Territory, the former chief minister said.

The remarks came days after seven people – a local doctor and six non-local labourers – were killed and five injured when terrorists attacked their camp in Gund in Ganderbal district of Kashmir. The labourers were working on a tunnel project.

“The people of J&K are stuck in the animosity between the two countries. Their lives and their property are getting destroyed because the two countries are fighting each other,” Mufti said after visiting the residence of Dr Shahnawaz Dar, who was killed in Sunday’s attack, in Naidgam village of Budgam district on Wednesday.

Bearing the brunt

“J&K is bearing the brunt and the poor non-local labourers are also suffering because of that,” Mehbooba told reporters in Budgam

The former Lok Sabha MP said Dar was serving the people and was an honourable man but suffered because of the animosity between the two countries.

“Until both the countries sit together, talk in a cordial manner and take the path of reconciliation like (former prime minister Atal Bihari) Vajpayee, the people of J&K and the rest of the country will continue to witness such incidents,” she said.

Dar was posted at the tunnel construction site by APCO Infratech, the infrastructure company he was working for.

Mehbooba’s remarks are in sharp contrast with her party’s rival National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah who on Monday lashed out at Pakistan for perpetrating terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, saying Islamabad will have to stop terror incidents here if it wants to have friendly relations with India.

Until both the countries sit together, talk in a cordial manner and take the path of reconciliation, the people of J&K will continue to witness such incidents.

Every person in J&K wants this violence to end… we get out of this bloodshed.

“Every person in J&K, not just Mehbooba Mufti, wants this violence to end and that the two countries sit together and talk so that we get out of this bloodshed,” Mehbooba said when asked about comments by Abdullah.

Jammu and Kashmir news: In a significant political move, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has vacated the Budgam assembly seat while retaining the Ganderbal constituency, as announced by Pro-tem Speaker Mubarak Gul in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Monday.

CM Omar Abdullah successfully secured both seats – Ganderbal and Budgam – in the recent assembly elections, but his choice to keep Ganderbal underscores its importance to his political legacy.

CM Abdullah had defeated Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (JKPDP)’s Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi to win the Budgam Assembly Seat in the recently concluded Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections.

A Stronghold for the Abdullah Family

The Ganderbal seat has long been regarded as a stronghold for the Abdullah family. Omar Abdullah previously served as an MLA for Ganderbal from 2009 to 2014 during his first tenure as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

“Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah keeps Ganderbal assembly seat and resigns from Budgam seat,” Mubarak Gul stated in the assembly, confirming the change.

Impact on National Conference’s Strength in J-K Assembly

With Omar Abdullah’s resignation from Budgam, the strength of the National Conference in the 95-member assembly has now been reduced to 41 seats. However, the party still maintains a comfortable majority, bolstered by the support of six Congress MLAs, five Independents, and one MLA each from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

As Omar Abdullah navigates his role in the assembly, his focus remains on addressing the needs and concerns of his constituents, particularly in Ganderbal, as he embarks on this new chapter in his political career.

Jammu and Kashmir MLAs administered oath

During his first tenure as Chief Minister from 2009 to 2014, Omar Abdullah took lessons to improve his speaking skills in Hindi, Urdu and Kashmiri languages. And on Monday, 21 October, Omar Abdullah, son of Farooq Abdullah, took oath as MLA in Kashmiri.

Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary took oath in English.

The oath-taking ceremony of the MLAs marked an end to the six-year-long legislative hiatus in Jammu and Kashmir.

J-K Demands Restoration of Statehood

On 19 October, the Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet has passed a resolution urging the Union Government to restore the statehood of the Union Territory.

The Cabinet which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, on Thursday passed a unanimous resolution for restoration of statehood in its original form.

The Cabinet has authorised CM Abdullah to take up the matter with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Government of India for restoration of statehood.

WATCH | Saba Naqvi breaks down the Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir election results

Saba Naqvi discusses the electoral strategies adopted by various players, the saffron party’s electoral resurgence, and more.
| Video Credit:
Camera: Dipesh Arora; Editing: Samson Ronald K.; Produced By: Jinoy Jose P. 

Last week, Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir wrapped up their Assembly elections. The BJP surprised everyone with a hat-trick victory in Haryana, while Kashmir made a statement on issues such as statehood by voting the INDIA bloc to power. Veteran journalist Saba Naqvi digs into the results for Frontline, spotlighting how the BJP, Congress, and local parties fared.

In this video, Naqvi unpacks the game plans each party used to woo voters. She sheds light on how caste still sways ballots and how parties juggle different social groups to win. Naqvi also tracks how these regions’ political sentiments are shifting. She zeroes in on the BJP’s hat-trick in Haryana and how the National Conference (NC)-Congress team scored in Kashmir but stumbled in Jammu. Naqvi ponders what these outcomes mean for the BJP’s standing across India. She also probes how Hindu nationalism continues to power the BJP’s moves in the Hindi belt.

Saba Naqvi is a Delhi based journalist and author of four books who writes on politics and identity issues.

LISTEN | Amit Baruah in conversation with Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami

The CPI (M) leader says this election was the only option for the people of Jammu and Kashmir to express themselves. 
| Video Credit:
Interview by Amit Baruah; Editing by Samson Ronald K.; Produced by: Jinoy Jose P.

In a conversation with senior journalist Amit Baruah, Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami, a veteran CPI(M) leader and MLA from Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam, offers a candid and nuanced perspective on the region’s recent Assembly election—the first since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. Speaking after securing his fifth term as an MLA, Tarigami paints a complex picture of a populace eager for democratic expression yet constrained by years of political turmoil and centralised control.

He describes the elections as a watershed moment, where citizens across all demographics seized a rare opportunity to voice their concerns through the ballot, breaking a long spell of enforced silence. However, Tarigami’s optimism is tempered with caution as he outlines the challenges ahead: a polarised political landscape, diminished local autonomy, and the delicate balancing act required in dealing with the Central government.

Amit Baruah is a senior journalist.

LISTEN | Amit Baruah in conversation with Mirwaiz Umar Farooq

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq says this election was a vote against the BJP and the policies of Narendra Modi’s government. 
| Video Credit:
 Interview by Amit Baruah; Editing by Samson Ronald K.; Supervising producer: Jinoy Jose P.

Hurriyat Conference Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the religious head of Kashmiri Muslims, talks to Amit Baruah in this episode of the Frontline Conversations podcast at his home in Nigeen, Srinagar. After years of house arrest, he shares his views on Kashmir’s current situation and its future. The Mirwaiz discusses the recent elections in Kashmir, calling them a “consolidated ballot” against the changes made by New Delhi since 2019. He says people voted to show they reject these changes, not because they’re happy with the “Naya Kashmir” idea. He talks about how the BJP government’s actions have affected Kashmir.

The Mirwaiz believes that removing Article 370 hasn’t solved any problems. Instead, he thinks it has made the Kashmir issue more international, with China now involved because of Ladakh. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq compares the current BJP government with Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s time. He remembers Vajpayee’s efforts to solve the Kashmir issue “within the ambit of insaniyat” (humanity). The Mirwaiz sees the current government’s approach as very different, saying it wants to “finish the identity of the people of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).”

Amit Baruah is a senior journalist.

A farmer harvests rice in a paddy field after casting his vote during the second phase of the Assembly election in Ganderbal on September 25, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Adil Abass

After a decade-long gap, Jammu and Kashmir, now divided into two Centrally-administered territories, held its first Assembly election. The last election was in 2014 and led to the formation of a coalition government, which was dismissed in 2018. A political void has been created by the absence of a legitimate government and a sense of marginalisation among the people.

Elections in Kashmir have always been characterised by low voter turnout. But the recent election shows a different direction, the high voter turnout means Kashmiris are ready to speak out after years of waiting.

The National Conference, which is the largest regional party and a key partner of the Congress party, won 42 Assembly seats in the recent election, and almost all of them are in the Kashmir Valley.

Participants were many who continued their agricultural work while participating in political activities, a dual commitment to livelihood and democratic engagement.

Younger voters, especially the unemployed, were particularly eager to show that they would vote, a sign of hope for the future.

However, this atmosphere of engagement is not without its challenges. The election campaigns saw tensions emerge, especially between rival candidates, who confronted each other while their supporters and campaigners faced restrictions.

Active participation of citizens is seen during the campaign period with crowds of people on foot, on motorbikes and on farm tractors with party flags during the rice harvesting season.

Women also played a part, singing traditional Kashmiri political songs and ceremonies to show their support for candidates. Women greeted candidates with flowers and blessings as they visited villages, a sign of hope for a better future for all. These cultural expressions are not only an indication of women’s engagement in the electoral process but also a reflection of the community’s strength.

The incidents sparked protests from party workers in their party headquarters, who continue to fight their battles within the electoral democracy of the region.

The high expectations surrounding the elections are a reflection of a deep-seated desire for positive change, as Kashmir navigates this critical juncture.

After casting their ballots, the voters returned to their fields, showing a commitment to both their political rights and their agricultural responsibilities. However, once the results are announced, the people of Kashmir are fearful that another political force will take away their election and democratic processes, as they have in the past.

Adil Abass is an independent photojournalist from Kashmir, focusing on political, social, and cultural narratives

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Singh invited Jammu and Kashmir National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Monday for oath-taking on October 16.

The LG in his letter mentioned that he had received a letter from JKNC president Dr Farooq Abdullah on October 11, who informed that Omar Abdullah has been unanimously elected as Leader of the Legislature Party.

“I am pleased to invite you to form and lead the Government of Jammu and Kashmir,” said LG’s letter.

LG Manoj Sinha also stated that he received a letter from J&K Pradesh Congress Committee president Tariq Hammed Karra, CPI(M) secretary GN Malik, Aam Aadmi Party national secretary Pankaj Kumar Gupta and 5 independents, offering support in the formation of the government, led by JKNC.

“As separately settled, I shall administer Oath of Office and Secrecy to you, and to those recommended by you for induction as members of your Council of Ministers, at SKICC, Srinagar on 16th October, 2024 at 11.30 am,” the LG letter said.

“I take this opportunity to wish you a highly productive tenure and success in your endervours in the best interest of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” the letter added.

Earlier on October 11, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah staked claim to form the Jammu and Kashmir government. He met with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at the Raj Bhavan with letters of support from various parties and Independent candidates.

“I’ve just come back after meeting LG Manoj Sinha at the Raj Bhavan. During the meeting, I submitted support letters from NC, Congress, CPI(M), AAP and independent candidates to the LG. I requested him to decide a date for the oath-taking ceremony at the earliest,” says JKNC vice president told the media.

J&K assembly elections result:

In the recently held assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the INDI alliance-led by JK National Conference won 49 seats, while BJP managed to win only 27 seats. Others won 9 seats.

In a conversation with senior journalist Amit Baruah, Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami, a veteran CPI(M) leader and MLA from Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam, offers a candid and nuanced perspective on the region’s recent Assembly election—the first since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. Speaking after securing his fifth term as an MLA, Tarigami paints a complex picture of a populace eager for democratic expression yet constrained by years of political turmoil and centralised control. He describes the elections as a watershed moment, where citizens across all demographics seized a rare opportunity to voice their concerns through the ballot, breaking a long spell of enforced silence. However, Tarigami’s optimism is tempered with caution as he outlines the challenges ahead: a polarised political landscape, diminished local autonomy, and the delicate balancing act required in dealing with the Central government.

Edited excerpts: 

Also Read | Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami, Kashmir’s Communist stalwart, faces toughest test yet

Also Read | The fundamental demand is the restoration of Statehood: Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami

Amit Baruah is a senior journalist.