Many small parties can prove to be kingmakers in Jammu and Kashmir
Srinagar: As the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir are approaching, all the parties have intensified their preparations. Elections are being held in the state after a long time, so all the parties are working very hard. But this time there are some small parties in the state, which can become kingmakers and can also spoil the game of big parties. These include People’s Conference (PC), Apni Party, Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) and Awami Ittehad Party.
People’s Conference (PC)
The People’s Conference (PC), founded five decades ago by Abdul Ghani Lone, is now led by his son and former minister Sajad Lone. During the years of militancy, the PC did not contest elections and even lost its election symbol. Its fortunes changed when Sajad Lone was elected from Handwara in the 2014 assembly elections. The party also won Kupwara and joined hands with the PDP-BJP coalition government. Lone remained a cabinet minister until the government fell.
After the abrogation of Article 370, Lone tried to expand his party’s base by luring leaders from other organisations. He contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Baramulla but faced defeat, which forced him to quit. The upcoming assembly elections are crucial for the party as it is contesting 22 seats.
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Former minister Altaf Bukhari formed his party soon after the abrogation of Article 370 and was the first politician from Jammu and Kashmir to lead a delegation to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. The assembly elections are going to be the first major political test for Apni Party, which is contesting 60 assembly seats (40 in Kashmir and 20 in Jammu). The party had suffered a setback during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections when both its candidates lost their deposits in Srinagar and Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seats.
Democratic Progressive Azad Party(DPAP)
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) is the new party on the political scene in Jammu and Kashmir after its launch in September 2022. Azad founded the party after ending his five-decade-long association with the Congress. However, the DPAP, which he wanted to project as an “alternative” to regional forces like the NC and the PDP, failed its first political test, with all its three candidates in the 2024 Lok Sabha election losing their deposits.
Awami Ittehad Party
Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid founded the Awami Ittehad Party in 2012. The firebrand leader from north Kashmir was elected to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly as an independent from Langate in 2009 and 2014. He contested the Lok Sabha elections for the first time in 2019 and managed to secure over 1 lakh votes. Then came the big surprise when he contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Tihar jail and defeated NC vice-president Omar Abdullah and PC president Sajad Lone by a huge margin in Baramulla. After being released on interim bail from Tihar, Rashid has been campaigning across Kashmir. He has a lot of influence among the youth.
