Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections: BJP’s state president Ravinder Raina has faced a significant defeat in the Nowshera constituency. Surinder Choudhary, the candidate from the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (NC), won the seat by a margin of 7,819 votes. According to Election Commission data, Choudhary secured 35,069 votes, while Raina garnered 27,250 votes.

Election Outcome and Party Standings

As per the latest figures from the Election Commission of India (ECI), the National Conference is leading with 42 seats, followed by the BJP with 29 seats and the Congress with 6 seats. Additionally, 7 independent candidates are also leading in their respective constituencies. The Congress, in alliance with the NC, contested these elections against the BJP, while the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), based in the Kashmir Valley, decided to contest independently.

These elections marked the first assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir in 10 years and the first since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. According to the Election Commission, voter turnout across the three phases stood at 63.45%. The first phase witnessed a 61% turnout, the second phase recorded 57.3%, and the final phase saw the highest participation with 68.72% of eligible voters casting their ballots.

Ghulam Ahmad Mir, the Congress candidate from the Dooru constituency, expressed confidence that the NC-Congress alliance would cross the 50-seat mark. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has also showed similar confidence. He said that the alliance was in a strong position to secure a majority. He urged the BJP to respect the people’s mandate and avoid any potential manipulation of the results.