Jammu and Kashmir conducted its first general election since the abrogation of Article 370, with voting held in five phases from April 19 to May 20. The five Lok Sabha constituencies of Jammu & Kashmir are Udhampur, Jammu, Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag-Rajouri.
The Lok Sabha polls witnessed a tight contest between the INDIA bloc, comprising the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) and the Congress, and the NDA alliance led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The INDIA bloc put forward candidates in all five seats, with the JKNC contesting three and the Congress two seats. The BJP fielded candidates in two seats - Union minister Jitendra Singh from Udhampur and sitting MP Jugal Kishore Sharma from Jammu.
News18 Mega Exit Poll survey 2024: NDA and INDIA each expected to secure 3 seats
According to the News18 Mega Exit Poll 2024 survey, BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Congress-led Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) are expected to secrure three seats each in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
This election is significant as it marks the first general election in the Valley since the abrogation of Article 370 and the implementation of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. Ladakh, formerly part of the state, is now a separate union territory.
The election was conducted following the recent delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in the reduction of Lok Sabha seats from six to five. The Ladakh seat is now a part of the newly established Union Territory of Ladakh.
2024 opinion polls
Most opinion polls have given 2-3 seats to the INDIA bloc and 1-2 seats to NDA, while India TV-CNX predicted a tie between the two alliances. The ABP-C Voter Survey predicted that the UPA is expected to win three seats in the UT while the BJP-led NDA is likely to secure two seats. The National Conference is expected to win three seats while the BJP is predicted to get two seats in the UT.
Past elections: 2019 and 2014
In the 2019 general elections, the BJP secured 46.24% vote share and won three out of six seats, while the National Conference secured three seats. Opinion polls in 2019 had predicted that the BJP will win two seats, Congress one, and the National Conference all three seats in the Valley.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP emerged victorious in two seats in Jammu and one in Ladakh, while the PDP won all three seats in the Valley. The saffron party won Udhampur, Jammu and Ladakh while JKPDP secured Baramulla, Srinagar and Anantnag.
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