Elections for the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

of Jammu and Kashmir were held over seven days in November and December 2008. The previous government led by the

Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party Jammu is the winter capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters and the largest city in Jammu district of the union territory. Lying on the banks of the river Tawi, the city of Jammu, with an area of ...

(PDP) in coalition with the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

(INC) collapsed when the PDP withdrew. Following the election, the

Jammu & Kashmir National Conference The Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) is a regional political party in the Indian union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Founded as the ''All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference'' by Sheikh Abdullah and Chaudhry Ghulam A ...

(NC) agreed on a coalition with Congress and their leader,

Omar Abdullah Omar Abdullah (; born 10 March 1970) is an Indian politician and former Chief Minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. He became the 11th and the youngest Chief Minister of the State of Jammu and Kashmir, after forming a governme ...

became the state's youngest-ever Chief Minister at 38.

Background

Elections for the Jammu and Kashmir state Assembly were due in 2008, following the end of the term of the Assembly elected in 2002. However, the PDP withdrew from the INC-led state government in protest at the Amarnath land transfer decision. The INC government resigned in July 2008 and the state was brought under the direct rule of the central government pending the elections.

Boycott

The main Kashmiri separatist group, the

All Parties Hurriyat Conference All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) is an alliance of 26 political, social and religious organizations formed on 9 March 1993, as a united political front to raise the cause of Kashmiri separatism in the Kashmir conflict. Mehmood Ahmed Sagh ...

called on Kashmiris to boycott the elections, saying the elections were a "''futile exercise''" that would never "''fulfill the aspirations of the people''". Despite these boycott calls, NC leaders claimed that activists from Jamaat-e-Islami had come out and voted for the PDP. There were scattered separatist protests throughout the elections, including hundreds who protested in Srinagar. Police prevented these protestors from marching to the center of the city which led to protestors throwing stones at the police who fired

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ...

and used

baton charge A baton charge is a coordinated tactic for dispersing crowds of people, usually used by police or military in response to public disorder. In South Asia, a long bamboo stick, called ''lathi'' in Hindi, is used for crowd control, and the expres ...

s.Voting ends in Indian Kashmir amid heavy security
International Herald Tribune, 24 December 2008

Security

Indian election officials voiced major concerns about the security of the elections given the calls for a boycott and protest from separatist leaders and the recent violence over the

Amarnath land transfer controversy On 26 May 2008, the government of India and the state Government of Jammu and Kashmir reached an agreement to transfer of forest land to the ''Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board'' (SASB) in the main Kashmir valley to set up temporary shelters and f ...

. Voting was staggered so that security forces could maintain control. Thousands of security forces were deployed during the voting. In Srinagar, security forces were posted at junctions, patrolled the streets, and guarded polling stations. An unofficial curfew was enforced, gatherings of more than five people banned and neighborhoods were sealed off with steel barricades and razor wire. Police also arrested three men they accused of being

Jaish-e-Mohammed Jaish-e-Mohammed ( ur, , literally "The Army of Muhammad", abbreviated as JeM) is a Pakistan-based: "The JEM is a Pakistan-based, militant Islamic group founded by Maulana Masood Azhar in March 2000." Deobandi: "Deobandis like Masood Azha ...

members planning suicide attacks in

Jammu Jammu is the winter capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters and the largest city in Jammu district of the union territory. Lying on the banks of the river Tawi, the city of Jammu, with an area of ...

.Clashes mark final Kashmir poll
BBC News, 24 December 2008 One of those arrested was a soldier in the

Army of Pakistan The Pakistan Army (, ) is the land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the Partition of British India, which occurred as a result ...

, who Pakistan said had deserted in 2006. However following the polls the NC leader,

Farooq Abdullah Farooq Abdullah (born 21 October 1937) is an Indian politician who was Ex. President of Jammu & Kashmir National Conference. He has served as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on several occasions since 1982, and as the union minister f ...

, thanked the Pakistan government for their "''non-interference''" with the polls.

Results

The seven stages of the elections were held as follows: Jammu Kashmir state elections, 2008 stages

Turnout rose by 17%, despite calls from Kashmiri separatists and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

for Kashmiris to boycott the election.Abdullahs back in J&K
Times of India, 29 December 2009 INC head Sonia Gandhi described the polls as "''a triumph of Indian democracy''". Separatist supporters were said to have backed the PDP. The BJP's increase in support was said to be due to polarisation arising from the

, which led it to increase its seat tally from 1 to 11 seats. 1,354 candidates stood for election including 517 independents and nominees from 43 political parties.

Summary

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, style="text-align:left;" , , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 17 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , -3 , - , style="text-align:left;" ,

Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Mod ...

, style="text-align:left;" , , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 11 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , +10 , - , style="text-align:left;" , Jammu & Kashmir National Panthers Party , style="text-align:left;" , , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 3 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , -1 , - , style="text-align:left;" ,

Communist Party of India (Marxist) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)/CPIM/CPM) is a Marxist–Leninist communist political party in India. It is the largest communist party of India in terms of membership and electoral seats and one of the na ...

, style="text-align:left;" , , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 1 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , -1 , - , style="text-align:left;" , People's Democratic Front , style="text-align:left;" , , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 1 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , , - , style="text-align:left;" , Jammu & Kashmir Democratic Party Nationalist , style="text-align:left;" , , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 1 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , , - , style="text-align:left;" , Independents , style="text-align:left;" , , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 4 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , , - , style="text-align:left;background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan=2, Total (turnout 60.5%) ! style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", 87 ! style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", , - , style="text-align:left;" colspan=12 , Source
Electoral Commission of India

Elected Members

Government formation

Former National Conference Chief Minister,

, said he did not want to return as it "''required the energy of a younger man''", and nominated his son,

, and the head of the

instead.Kashmiri parties in coalition bid
BBC News, 29 December 2008 Congress debated forming a coalition with either Conference or the PDP. It was reported that the PDP had offered to support a Congress candidate for Chief Minister if they joined with them. However, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi were reported to favor the largest party to "''honor the mandate''" of the election. On 30 December Congress and the National Conference agreed to form a coalition government, with Omar Abdullah as Chief Minister.Pro-India parties to take power in Indian Kashmir
International Herald Tribune, 30 December 2008

References

{{Jammu and Kashmir elections 2008 State Assembly elections in India

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...