AAP notches its first-ever assembly win in J&K, Mehraj Malik wins from Doda

Mehraj Malik.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) pulled a surprise win after Mehraj Malik won the Doda seat on October 8, handing the party its first-ever assembly seat in Jammu and Kashmir where the National Conference and Congress were on track to form the government.

The 36-year-old Malik defeated his nearest rival, BJP's Gajay Singh Rana, by a margin of more than 4,000 votes.

The Doda region has seen several terror attacks over the past months. In August, an army captain was killed in a gunfight with terrorists in the Assar area of the district.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal congratulated the winning candidate and said, "Many congratulations to Aam Aadmi Party's candidate Mehran Malik for securing a brilliant victory by defeating BJP in Doda. You fought the election very well. Congratulations to the entire Aam Aadmi Party for having an MLA in the fifth state".

Malik, who won the party’s first election in Jammu and Kashmir by winning local body polls in December 2020, has opened up the electoral space for the Aam Aadmi Party in a region where it has little presence.

The Doda seat, which was won by the BJP's Shakti Raj in the 2014, has flipped between the National Conference and the Congress since the first poll in 1962.

Doda is also from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi began the BJP's campaign. His visit last month was the first by a Prime Minister in more than 40 years.

Malik's showing is also credible as the National Conference-Congress alliance dominated the election, leading in more than 45 seats in the 90-member House. The BJP was a distant second, leading in 29 seats as the counting continued.