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Jammu & Kashmir National Conference

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Jammu and Kashmir National Conference
AbbreviationJKNC (National)
PresidentFarooq Abdullah
ChairmanOmar Abdullah
Rajya Sabha LeaderFarooq Abdullah
FounderSheikh Abdullah & Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas
Founded15 October 1932 (92 years ago) (1932-10-15)[1]
HeadquartersNawa-e-sueb, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir
Student wingNational Conference Students' Union
Youth wingYouth National Conference
Ideology
Political positionCentre-left
ECI StatusState Party[3]
Alliance
Seats in Lok Sabha
2 / 543
Seats in Rajya Sabha
3 / 245
Seats in Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly
42 / 90
Seats in District Development Council
67 / 280
Number of states and union territories in government
1 / 31
Election symbol

Plough
Website
www.jknc.co.in

The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) is a regional political party in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir union territory and Ladakh. Founded as the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference by Sheikh Abdullah and Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas in 1932 in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, the organisation renamed itself to National Conference in 1939 in order to represent all the people of the state. It supported the accession of the princely state to India in 1947. Prior to that, in 1941, a group led by Ghulam Abbas broke off from the National Conference and revived the old Muslim Conference. The revived Muslim Conference supported the accession of the princely state to Pakistan and led the movement for Azad Kashmir.[4]

Since 1947, the National Conference was in power in Jammu and Kashmir in one form or another till 2002, and again between 2009 and 2015. It implemented land reforms in the state, ensured the state's autonomy under the Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, and formulated a separate Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir in 1957. Sheikh Abdullah's son Farooq Abdullah (1981–2002, 2009–present) and grandson Omar Abdullah (2002–2009) have led the party after Sheikh Abdullah's death as the president. The party is a member of the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration electoral alliance.

History

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The pre-independence period

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In October 1932, Sheikh Abdullah founded the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference in collaboration with Mirwaiz Yusuf Shah and Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas. On 11 June 1939 it was renamed as the All Jammu and Kashmir National Conference. This prompted a section of the leadership to break away and re-establish the Muslim Conference, with links to the All-India Muslim League.[5] The National Conference was affiliated to the All India States Peoples Conference. Sheikh Abdullah was elected its president in 1947. In 1946, the National Conference launched an intensive agitation against the state government. It was directed against the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, Hari Singh. The slogan of the agitation was "Quit Kashmir".

The post-independence period

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In the elections held in September 1951, National Conference won all 75 seats of the Constituent assembly of Jammu and Kashmir. Sheikh Abdullah remained prime minister until his dismissal in August 1953 on the grounds of conspiracy against the state of India. Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad became prime minister of the state, and Sheikh Abdullah was arrested on 9 August 1953.

In 1965, the National Conference merged with the Indian National Congress (INC) and became the Jammu and Kashmir branch of the Indian National Congress. Sheikh Abdullah was again arrested in 1965 until 1968 for conspiracy against the state. Sheikh Abdullah's splinter Plebiscite Front faction later appropriated the name of the original party when Abdullah was allowed to return to power in February 1975 after striking a deal with the central government. In 1977, the National Conference he led won the state assembly elections, and Sheikh Abdullah became chief minister. His son Farooq Abdullah succeeded him as the chief minister on his death on 8 September 1982. In June 1983 elections, the JKNC, led by Farooq Abdullah, again won a comfortable majority.

In July 1984, Farooq's brother-in-law Ghulam Mohammad Shah split the party. Acting on the behest of the central government, the governor dismissed Farooq as chief minister and replaced him with Ghulam Mohammad Shah. His government was dismissed in March 1986 and presidential rule was imposed. In the contested state assembly elections of 1987, the JKNC formed an alliance with the INC, and was declared to have won a majority. Farooq Abdullah again became chief minister and on Abdullah's watch an insurgency against the state government and India began. Abdullah was dismissed again in 1990 by the union government and presidential rule was imposed in the state.[6] In 1991, the state elections were cancelled due to a revolt by the people.

1996 onwards

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In the Jammu and Kashmir state assembly elections in 1996, the JKNC led by Abdullah was awarded the election yet again winning 57 seats out of a total 87. Like its predecessors, this election has been deemed to be rigged and Abdullah stepped down in 2000. His son, Omar Abdullah then took up the reins of power in the state. But in 2002 state assembly elections, the JKNC won only 28 seats, with the Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party (PDP) emerging in the Kashmir Valley as a contender for power. In the December 2008 state assembly elections, no single party was able to get the majority. The JKNC led by Farooq's son Omar Abdullah emerged as a single largest party, winning 28 seats. After the elections, on 30 December 2008 the JKNC formed an alliance with the INC which had won 17 seats.[7][8] Omar Abdullah became the chief minister of this coalition government on 5 January 2009.[9]

JKNC and INC contested 2009 general election in alliance. INC won all the two seats of Jammu region but lost Ladakh seat to NC rebel who contested as an independent candidate. NC won all the three seats of the Kashmir Valley in 2009.[7]

During this period, the JKNC has experienced increasing controversies over the Accession of Kashmir to India. Protests against the government in 2010 when approximately 100 protesters (one as young as 11) were killed as the result of live ammunition being fired by state paramilitary forces.[10][11] A torture scandal was exposed by the WikiLeaks, revelations which were subsequently aired on Channel 4.[12][clarification needed]

In the 2014 general election, the NC contested the election in an alliance with Indian National Congress but did not win a single seat. Out of six seats in the state, PDP and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won three each.[7][13]

During the 2014 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election, INC broke its alliance with JKNC.[7] JKNC contested all the assembly seats but won only 15 seats, a decrease of 13 seats. PDP won 28 seats and became the largest party in the assembly followed by BJP winning 25 seats.[14] Omar Abdullah resigned as a chief minister on 24 December 2014.[15]

Article 370 and after

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After the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, which revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) has been advocating for its restoration. In their 2024 election manifesto, the party pledged to fight for the reinstatement of Article 370 and the region's statehood. They also proposed repealing post-2019 laws that they argue adversely impact the region's autonomy. Additionally, the JKNC aims to encourage dialogue between India and Pakistan to address the Kashmir issue[16]

The revocation of Article 370 was part of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) efforts to fully integrate Jammu and Kashmir into India, a move that has faced significant opposition from local political parties like the JKNC.[citation needed] The National Conference's current leadership, including Omar Abdullah, has reiterated their determination to pursue statehood and autonomy through legal and political channels.[citation needed]

2024 Jammu and Kashmir elections

The 2024 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections were scheduled to be held in three phases: September 18, September 25, and October 1, 2024. This was the first election since the revocation of the special status in 2019. The election decided 90 seats in the assembly.[17]

The results were announced on October 8, 2024. Key parties contesting include: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC), Indian National Congress (INC), and Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)[17]

Prime ministers of Jammu and Kashmir
№[a] Name Portrait Constituency Tenure[18]
1 Sheikh Abdullah  – 5 March 1948 31 October 1951 3 years, 240 days
31 October 1951 9 August 1953 1 year, 282 days
3 Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad Safa Kadal 9 August 1953 25 March 1957 3 years, 228 days
25 March 1957 18 February 1962 4 years, 330 days
18 February 1962 12 October 1963 1 year, 297 days
4 Khwaja Shamsuddin Anantnag 12 October 1963 29 February 1964 140 days

Chief ministers of the Jammu and Kashmir

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Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir
№[b] Name Portrait Constituency Tenure[18]
From To Days in office
1 Sheikh Abdullah MLC 25 February 1975 26 March 1977 2 years, 29 days
2 Ganderbal 9 July 1977 8 September 1982 5 years, 61 days
3 Farooq Abdullah 8 September 1982 24 November 1983 1 year, 77 days
24 November 1983 2 July 1984 221 days
4 7 November 1986 23 March 1987 136 days
23 March 1987 19 January 1990 2 years, 302 days
5 9 October 1996 18 October 2002 6 years, 9 days
6 Omar Abdullah 5 January 2009 8 January 2015 6 years, 3 days
7 16 October 2024 Incumbent 15 days

Deputy prime minister and chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir

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Sr. No. Photo Name Took office Left office
Deputy prime minister of the State of Jammu and Kashmir
1 Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad 5 March 1948 9 August 1953
Deputy chief ministers state of the Jammu and Kashmir
2 Mirza Afzal Beg 1974 1977
3 Devi Das Thakur 2 July 1984 6 March 1986

List of union ministers

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No. Portrait Minister
(Birth-Death)
Constituency 		Term of office Portfolio Ministry Prime minister
From To Period
1 Omar Abdullah
(born 1970)
MP for Srinagar
(MoS) 		22 July
2001 		23 December
2002 		1 year, 154 days Minister of State in Ministry of External Affairs Vajpayee III Atal Bihari Vajpayee
2 Farooq Abdullah
(born 1937)
MP for Srinagar 		29 May
2009 		26 May
2014 		4 years, 362 days Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Manmohan II Manmohan Singh

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ A parenthetical number indicates that the incumbent has previously held office.
  2. ^ A parenthetical number indicates that the incumbent has previously held office.

References

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  1. ^ Zutshi, Languages of Belonging 2004, Chapter 5.
  2. ^ "Farooq Abdullah attacks PM Modi: 'A Muslim cannot snatch…'". "We are Muslims and our Allah has told us to respect other religions… A Muslim cannot snatch anyone's right," he said
  3. ^ "List of Political Parties and Election Symbols main Notification Dated 18.01.2013" (PDF). India: Election Commission of India. 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  4. ^ Chaku, Arjan Nath; Chaku, Inder K (2016). The Kashmir story : through the ages. New Delhi: Vitasta Publishing Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 9789382711759.
  5. ^ "The contested legacies of Maqbool Sherwani, the Kashmiri who stalled invaders in 1947". 27 October 2017.
  6. ^ Chandra, Bipan & others (2000). India after Independence 1947–2000, New Delhi:Penguin Books, ISBN 0-14-027825-7, pp.320–2
  7. ^ a b c d "Congress divorces National Conference after five and half years of marriage". dna. 21 July 2014. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  8. ^ Nagi, Saroj (30 December 2008). "Omar Abdullah to be next chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 31 December 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  9. ^ "Omar Abdullah takes oath as Chief Minister of J&K". The Hindu. 5 January 2009. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
  10. ^ "Kashmir protests to intensify after 11-year-old killed". RFI English. 18 September 2010. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
  11. ^ "Death toll 100 in Kashmir demonstrations". United Press International. 18 September 2010. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
  12. ^ "Kashmir's Torture Trail". Channel 4. 11 July 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  13. ^ Hussain, Masood (7 June 2014). "After poor Lok Sabha performance, National Conference trying to boost image ahead of assembly elections". The Economic Times. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  14. ^ "2014 Assembly Election Results of Jammu & Kasmir / Jharkhand". Election Commission of India. Archived from the original on 18 December 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  15. ^ "Omar Abdullah resigns as J&K CM, says onus of govt formation on PDP, BJP". The Times of India. 24 December 2014. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  16. ^ Staff, Scroll (20 August 2024). "National Conference manifesto pledges restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's special status, PSA repeal". Scroll.in. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections 2024: J-K Elections schedule, phases, assembly seats, key candidates and all you need to know". The Indian Express. 26 August 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  18. ^ a b Chief Ministers and Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir since 1947. General Administration Department, Government of Jammu and Kashmir. Retrieved on 29 April 2014.

Bibliography

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