In J&K, Omar Abdullah-led NC, with Congress as a much junior partner, won a comfortable majority – powered by a near-sweep in the Valley. The factors that didn’t make big news but made all the difference in this assembly poll, the first for J&K as a Union territory
10-YEAR ITCH
A decade is a long time in the rest of India, but not in Jammu & Kashmir. Back in 2014, National Conference’s (NC) Valley rival People’s Democratic Party (PDP) allied with BJP to form a government.That alliance cleared the way for Farooq and Omar Abdullah’s party to become the most effective vehicle for the Valley’s grievances, especially when Modi-led BJP abrogated Articles 370 and 35(A), and turned J&K to a Union territory.
PDP spoke up, too. But the Abdullah’s carried more credibility for Kashmiris. When 2024 elections happened, Omar’s loud demands for status quo ante in J&K convinced many voters he was the man to fight in their corner. That he had once been an ally of Vajpayee-led BJP didn’t matter — in part because for the Muslim-dominant Valley, Modi-led BJP is seen as a different party altogether.
A decade is a long time in the rest of India, but not in Jammu & Kashmir. Back in 2014, National Conference’s (NC) Valley rival People’s Democratic Party (PDP) allied with BJP to form a government.That alliance cleared the way for Farooq and Omar Abdullah’s party to become the most effective vehicle for the Valley’s grievances, especially when Modi-led BJP abrogated Articles 370 and 35(A), and turned J&K to a Union territory.
PDP spoke up, too. But the Abdullah’s carried more credibility for Kashmiris. When 2024 elections happened, Omar’s loud demands for status quo ante in J&K convinced many voters he was the man to fight in their corner. That he had once been an ally of Vajpayee-led BJP didn’t matter — in part because for the Muslim-dominant Valley, Modi-led BJP is seen as a different party altogether.