Jammu and Kashmir election results 2024 LIVE updates: Jailed candidate Engineer Rashid on way to victory; BJP leads in Udhampur, Jammu

Former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti have conceded defeat from the Baramulla and Anantnag-Rajouri seats respectively. In the Baramulla seat, jailed leader Abdul Rashid Sheikh, also called, Engineer Rashid, registered a formidable lead over the National Conference leader Omar Abdullah. In the Anantnag-Rajouri seat, PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti congratulated NC’s Mian Altaf Ahmad who leads by a huge margin from the seat.

The National Conference is leading in the Srinagar and Anantnag-Rajouri constituencies, while the Udhampur and Jammu seats have the Bharatiya Janata Party in the lead. 

This is the first election of Jammu and Kashmir as a UT since it was a part of the State of Jammu and Kashmir until 2019, when the special status of the State was revoked and it was divided into two Union Territories (Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh) under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. The General Elections were also the first major poll since the elected Assembly was dissolved; the special status of the province abrogated by the BJP-led Union government; the Valley subjected to months of Internet shutdowns. The region recorded the highest voter turnout in the last 35 years, according to the Election Commission. The Union Territory voted in the first, second, fourth, fifth and sixth phases of the Lok Sabha election, scheduled on April 19, April 26, May 13, May 20 and May 25 respectively. One of the UT’s five constituencies voted in each phase. 

Key issues addressed during elections include making the politically volatile region with frequent instances of violence peaceful along with restoration of its Statehood. The UT was caught in the midst of controversy as several displaced Kashmiri pandits found their names missing from the electoral rolls.

As a part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), the Indian National Congress is contesting for the Udhampur and Jammu seats against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). In the Baramulla, Srinagar and Anantnag–Rajouri constituencies, however, two parties within the INDIA – Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) and Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – have fielded candidates against one another, with no contest from the NDA. The regional rivalry between PDP and NC has carried over terms: the former won three seats in 2014 and the latter won three seats in 2019.