Elections for the

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

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 The Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is a state political party in Jammu and Kashmir, India. The PDP was headed and founded by Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. His daughter, Mehbooba Mufti, succeeded him as party leader and as chief ...

(PDP) in coalition with the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

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

Jammu & Kashmir National Conference The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) is a regional political party in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir union territory and Ladakh. Founded as the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference by ...

(NC) agreed on a coalition with Congress and their leader, Omar Abdullah 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 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 Jamaat-e-Islami is an Islamist fundamentalist movement founded in 1941 in British India by the Islamist author and theorist Syed Abul Ala Maududi, who was inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood. It is considered one of the most influential Isla ...

had come out and voted for the PDP. There were scattered separatist protests throughout the elections, including hundreds who protested in

Srinagar Srinagar (; ) is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary ...

. 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 lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the Mace (spray), early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the ey ...

and used

baton charge A baton charge is a coordinated tactic for dispersing crowds of people, usually used by police, paramilitary or military in response to public disorder. In the Indian subcontinent, a long bamboo stick, called a '' lathi'' in Bengali, Hindi, ...

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. Voting was staggered so that security forces could maintain control. Thousands of security forces were deployed during the voting. In

, 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 members planning

suicide attack A suicide attack (also known by a wide variety of other names, see below) is a deliberate attack in which the perpetrators knowingly sacrifice their own lives as part of the attack. These attacks are a form of murder–suicide that is ofte ...

s in

Jammu Jammu () is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute ...

.Clashes mark final Kashmir poll
BBC News, 24 December 2008 One of those arrested was a soldier in the Army of Pakistan, 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 serves as current president of the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference. He has served as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir on several occasions since 1982 till 2002, and ...

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

Results

The seven stages of the elections were held as follows: Turnout rose by 17%, despite calls from Kashmiri separatists and

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

for Kashmiris to boycott the election.Abdullahs back in J&K
Times of India, 29 December 2009 INC head

Sonia Gandhi Sonia Gandhi (, ; ; born 9 December 1946) is an Indian politician. She is the longest-serving president of the Indian National Congress, a big-tent liberal political party, which has governed India for most of its post-independence history. ...

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 Amarnath land transfer controversy, 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

, - !colspan=10, , - ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:center;" , Party ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:center;" , Flag ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:center;" , Seats ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:center;" , +/– , - , style="text-align:left;" , National Conference , style="text-align:left;" , , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 28 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 0 , - , style="text-align:left;" , People's Democratic Party , style="text-align:left;" , , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 21 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 5 , - , style="text-align:left;" ,

, 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 List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. BJP emerged out from Syama Prasad Mukherjee's ...

, 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)) is a Communism in India, communist List of political parties in India, political party in India. It is the largest communist party in India in terms of membership and electora ...

, 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

Results by constituency

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, Omar Abdullah, 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 Manmohan Singh (26 September 1932 – 26 December 2024) was an Indian economist, bureaucrat, academician, and statesman, who served as the prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He was the fourth longest-serving prime minister after Jaw ...

and Congress chairperson

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 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...