SRINAGAR — With the ground set for the much-hyped and much-awaited Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, political parties are entering the fray without naming a chief ministerial candidate.
Even traditional powerhouses like the National Conference (NC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP), whose leaders have held the chief minister’s office in the past, have chosen to withhold their candidates for the top post.
According to the news agency KNO, the hesitation stems from the prevailing uncertainty over securing a clear mandate. Political experts suggest that no single party is confident enough to stake a claim on forming the government independently.
The fear of internal discontent is also playing a role, as the prospect of post-election alliances looms large. With the current fractured political landscape, it appears inevitable that any future government will require coalition support—just as in the last two elections.
In the 2014 elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed a government in alliance with the PDP, while in 2008, the National Conference came to power with Congress’s support. Similarly, the 2002 government was a Congress-PDP coalition.
The PDP is once again positioning itself to play kingmaker, with a history of backing both the Congress and BJP at different times. Iltija Mufti, the party’s candidate from the Bijbehara Assembly segment last week echoed a similar statement, claiming that the PDP will emerge as the kingmaker in Jammu and Kashmir as no party will get a majority on its own in the upcoming Assembly polls.
“I am very confident that the PDP will be the kingmaker in whatever situation we are. One thing is clear that no party will get a majority,” Iltija had told the media on August 29, this year.
Political parties are, therefore, focusing more on their campaign strength rather than on individual candidates for the chief minister’s office. The BJP is seeking votes in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress is campaigning with Rahul Gandhi as its key figure, while the NC and PDP are leveraging the legacies of Farooq Abdullah and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, respectively. Smaller parties are also eyeing the opportunity to win a few seats and position themselves as key players in government formation.
The BJP, consistent with its national strategy, is not contesting the elections with a clear CM candidate. Despite several strong leaders in its ranks, such as former Deputy Chief Ministers Kavinder Gupta and Nirmal Singh, and longtime state president Ravinder Raina, the party is largely banking on the popularity of PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. BJP’s campaign material prominently features these national leaders, and local faces have taken a backseat, possibly to avoid backlash over internal dissatisfaction caused by ticket distribution.
For the PDP, this election is a significant turning point as it is the first Assembly election without its founder, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. The party is facing internal challenges, with many prominent leaders leaving its fold, and Mehbooba Mufti opting not to contest. Despite these setbacks, the party is campaigning on the legacy of Mufti Sayeed, with Mehbooba’s daughter, Iltija Mufti, assuming a more active role.
However, Iltija has made it clear she is not in the race for the chief minister’s post. “My priority right now is my campaign. I want to convince people about why I am the right representative for them. For me, becoming CM is not important at all. I am very young, it sounds so ridiculous. My priority is to win these elections and be the true representative of the people,” she said.
The Congress, meanwhile, has entered into an alliance with the NC, but with just 31 seats to contest and a majority mark of 44, the party appears to be aiming for a deputy chief minister’s role rather than the top post. The party recently replaced its state president Vikar Rasool with Hamid Karra, a move seen as part of its broader strategy to fight under the national leadership of Rahul Gandhi. However, with the NC leading the alliance, Congress seems to be playing a secondary role in the campaign.
Although Omar Abdullah, a former chief minister, remains a potential contender from NC, the party has refrained from officially naming him as its CM candidate. The alliance with Congress and the defeat in the recent Lok Sabha elections have complicated NC’s campaign dynamics. Nevertheless, the party is still relying on the senior leadership of Farooq Abdullah, now over 80, who remains a prominent face in party rallies.
