The first phase of PDP will decide its future, its existence depends on South Kashmir

J&K Election 2024 / The first phase of PDP will decide its future, its existence depends on South Kashmir

J&K Election 2024 - The first phase of PDP will decide its future, its existence depends on South Kashmir

J&K Election 2024: Assembly elections are being held in Jammu and Kashmir after a decade. Voting has started in 24 assembly seats in the first phase, in which 219 candidates are trying their luck. This election is especially important for Mehbooba Mufti's People's Democratic Party (PDP), as its political future depends on this election.

Election background

In the first phase, voting is being held in 16 seats of South Kashmir and 8 seats of Jammu region. A total of 23,27,580 voters—11,76,462 men, 11,51,058 women and 60 others—will cast their votes in these 24 seats. The Election Commission has set up 3,276 polling stations for this phase, including women-centric "pink stations", polling stations for the disabled and "green polling stations".

Political stakes

PDP has fielded 21 candidates in this election, while National Conference has decided to contest on 18 and Congress on 9 seats. BJP is fielding candidates on only 16 seats. 9 women including Mehbooba Mufti's daughter Iltija Mufti are also in the electoral fray, which makes this election even more important.

Political future of PDP

PDP was founded in 1999 and this party has been politically strong in South Kashmir. In 2014, it had won the maximum number of seats from this region, on the basis of which Mehbooba Mufti formed the government. But now the circumstances have changed. In the last few years, the political position of PDP has weakened. Mehbooba Mufti faced defeat from the National Conference candidate in the last Lok Sabha election and now she has decided to stay away from the electoral field.

Iltija Mufti's contest

Mehbooba Mufti has fielded her daughter Iltija in the electoral battlefield. Iltija is pitted against National Conference's Bashir Ahmad Shah and BJP's Sofi Yousuf. Crucial seats in south Kashmir like Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama will determine the future of the PDP.

Challenges and prospects

The challenges for the PDP are many. After breaking the alliance with the BJP in 2018, the party was accused of playing a role in the abrogation of Article 370. As a result, the party lost the support of the local public. Now, its presence in the elections is becoming limited and it has decided to contest alone.

Conclusion

The assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will not only determine the political direction of the region but will also decide whether the PDP will be able to maintain its existence. For Mehbooba Mufti and her party, this election is like a test, which will shape their political future. It will be interesting to see whether the PDP will be able to regain its lost ground once again.