Elections for the Indian state of

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

were held over seven days in November and December 2008. The previous government led by the

Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party Jammu is the winter capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters and the largest city in Jammu district of the union territory. Lying on the banks of the river Tawi, the city of Jammu, with an area of , ...

(PDP) in coalition with the Indian National Congress (INC) collapsed when the PDP withdrew. Following the election, the

Jammu & Kashmir National Conference The Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) is a regional political party in the Indian union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Founded as the ''All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference'' by Sheikh Abdullah and Chaudhry Ghulam A ...

(NC) agreed on a coalition with Congress and their leader, Omar Abdullah became the state's youngest-ever Chief Minister at 38.

Background

Elections for the Jammu and Kashmir state Assembly were due in 2008, following the end of the term of the Assembly elected in 2002. However, the PDP withdrew from the INC-led state government in protest at the Amarnath land transfer decision. The INC government resigned in July 2008 and the state was brought under the direct rule of the central government pending the elections.

Boycott

The main Kashmiri separatist group, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference called on Kashmiris to boycott the elections, saying the elections were a "''futile exercise''" that would never "''fulfill the aspirations of the people''". Despite these boycott calls, NC leaders claimed that activists from

Jamaat-e-Islami Jamaat-e-Islami ( ur, ) () is an Islamic movement founded in 1941 in British India by the Islamic theologian and socio-political philosopher, Syed Abul Ala Maududi.van der Veer P. and Munshi S. (eds.''Media, War, and Terrorism: Responses fro ...

had come out and voted for the PDP. There were scattered separatist protests throughout the elections, including hundreds who protested in

Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...

. Police prevented these protestors from marching to the center of the city which led to protestors throwing stones at the police who fired tear gas and used baton charges.Voting ends in Indian Kashmir amid heavy security
International Herald Tribune, 24 December 2008

Security

Indian election officials voiced major concerns about the security of the elections given the calls for a boycott and protest from separatist leaders and the recent violence over the

Amarnath land transfer controversy On 26 May 2008, the government of India and the state Government of Jammu and Kashmir reached an agreement to transfer of forest land to the ''Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board'' (SASB) in the main Kashmir valley to set up temporary shelters and fa ...

. Voting was staggered so that security forces could maintain control. Thousands of security forces were deployed during the voting. In

, security forces were posted at junctions, patrolled the streets, and guarded polling stations. An unofficial curfew was enforced, gatherings of more than five people banned and neighborhoods were sealed off with steel barricades and razor wire. Police also arrested three men they accused of being

Jaish-e-Mohammed Jaish-e-Mohammed ( ur, , literally "The Army of Muhammad", abbreviated as JeM) is a Pakistan-based: "The JEM is a Pakistan-based, militant Islamic group founded by Maulana Masood Azhar in March 2000." Deobandi: "Deobandis like Masood Azha ...

members planning

suicide attack A suicide attack is any violent Strike (attack), attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has suicide, accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have oc ...

s in Jammu.Clashes mark final Kashmir poll
BBC News, 24 December 2008 One of those arrested was a soldier in the

Army of Pakistan The Pakistan Army (, ) is the land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the Partition of British India, which occurred as a result ...

, who Pakistan said had deserted in 2006. However following the polls the NC leader, Farooq Abdullah, thanked the Pakistan government for their "''non-interference''" with the polls.

Results

The seven stages of the elections were held as follows: Jammu Kashmir state elections, 2008 stages

Turnout rose by 17%, despite calls from Kashmiri separatists and Pakistan for Kashmiris to boycott the election.Abdullahs back in J&K
Times of India, 29 December 2009 INC head

Sonia Gandhi Sonia Gandhi ('' née'' Maino; born 9 December 1946) is an Indian politician. She is the longest serving president of the Indian National Congress, a social democratic political party, which has governed India for most of its post-independ ...

described the polls as "''a triumph of Indian democracy''". Separatist supporters were said to have backed the PDP. The BJP's increase in support was said to be due to polarisation arising from the

, which led it to increase its seat tally from 1 to 11 seats. 1,354 candidates stood for election including 517 independents and nominees from 43 political parties.

Summary

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People's Democratic Party People's Democratic Party or ''variant thereof'', could refer to: * People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan *People's Democratic Party (Belize) *People's Democratic Party (Bhutan) *People's Democratic Party (Chile) * People's Democratic Party (Dom ...

, style="text-align:left;" , , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 21 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , +5 , - , style="text-align:left;" , Indian National Congress , style="text-align:left;" , , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 17 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , -3 , - , style="text-align:left;" , Bharatiya Janata Party , style="text-align:left;" , , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 11 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , +10 , - , style="text-align:left;" , Jammu & Kashmir National Panthers Party , style="text-align:left;" , , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 3 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , -1 , - , style="text-align:left;" , Communist Party of India (Marxist) , style="text-align:left;" , , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 1 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , -1 , - , style="text-align:left;" , People's Democratic Front , style="text-align:left;" , , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 1 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , , - , style="text-align:left;" , Jammu & Kashmir Democratic Party Nationalist , style="text-align:left;" , , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 1 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , , - , style="text-align:left;" , Independents , style="text-align:left;" , , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , 4 , style="text-align:right;vertical-align:top;" , , - , style="text-align:left;background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan=2, Total (turnout 60.5%) ! style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", 87 ! style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", , - , style="text-align:left;" colspan=12 , Source
Electoral Commission of India

Elected Members

Government formation

Former National Conference Chief Minister, Farooq Abdullah, said he did not want to return as it "''required the energy of a younger man''", and nominated his son, Omar Abdullah, and the head of the

instead.Kashmiri parties in coalition bid
BBC News, 29 December 2008 Congress debated forming a coalition with either Conference or the PDP. It was reported that the PDP had offered to support a Congress candidate for Chief Minister if they joined with them. However, Prime Minister

Manmohan Singh Manmohan Singh (; born 26 September 1932) is an Indian politician, economist and statesman who served as the 13th prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He is also the third longest-serving prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indir ...

and Congress chairperson

were reported to favor the largest party to "''honor the mandate''" of the election. On 30 December Congress and the National Conference agreed to form a coalition government, with Omar Abdullah as Chief Minister.Pro-India parties to take power in Indian Kashmir
International Herald Tribune, 30 December 2008

References

{{Jammu and Kashmir elections 2008 State Assembly elections in India

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...