SRINAGAR: In the first assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir after Article 370’s abrogation, the National Conference did spectacularly well to bag 42 seats and get the right to form the new government with the Congress, its alliance partner. For all the high-pitched campaign by the BJP, its ‘Naya Kashmir’ narrative managed to add just four seats, taking its tally to 29.NC leader Omar Abdullah would be the new chief minister. The Congress performed poorly in the Jammu region, picking up just one of its six seats there — Rajouri (ST). The other five came from the Kashmir valley. CPI (M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, who is an ally of NC-Congress, retained his Kulgam seat for the fifth consecutive time. The tally could go up as at least two NC and Congress rebels each contested and won. They are likely to return to their parties.The NC’s strike rate was very high, having contested from just 51 seats. It had a positive swing of 2.66% votes as compared to the last assembly elections in 2014, but in terms of seats it captured 27 more. Besides, the NC and Congress had friendly fights on five seats. Omar’s party also won seven seats in the Jammu region.The election result is a setback for the BJP. Its president in J&K Ravindra Raina lost to NC’s Surinder Chodhary from his home constituency in Nowshera in Rajouri.Jubilant NC and Congress workers danced and burst crackers to celebrate their voctory. “The result has shown that the NC is a force to reckon with and can’t be crushed,” said a party worker Ghulam Ahmed. Omar, who had initially reluctant to enter the assembly poll fray till the restoration of statehood, contested from two seats — Budgam and Ganderbal — and won both.
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