51 new MLAs among 90 members elected to J&K Assembly

The National Conference, which emerged as the single-largest party, securing 42 seats, has the highest number of debutant MLAs.

In Short

• NC emerges largest party with 42 seats, 24 debutants.
• BJP wins 29 seats, 15 first-time MLAs
• Notable newcomers include PDP's Waheed Para and AAP's Mehraj Malik

There are 51 new MLAs among the 90 members who have been elected to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly following the first polls in the union territory in a decade.

The National Conference (NC) has emerged as the single-largest party, securing 42 seats and contributing the highest number of debutant MLAs, with 24 new members to the Assembly. Following closely is the BJP, which won 29 seats, including 15 first-time MLAs - more than half of its total.

The Congress party faced challenges, winning only six seats, primarily in the Kashmir valley, and has two debutant MLAs. Six of the seven Independent candidates elected are also newcomers to the Assembly.

Additionally, all three elected members of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the lone Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA are first-time participants in this legislative body.

Notable first-time MLAs include PDP youth president Waheed Para, AAP MLA Mehraj Malik from Doda, and NC's Mushtaq Ahmad Guroo, who made headlines by defeating Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari.

Among the newly elected MLAs, several have previously served in the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha or the Legislative Council in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Former high court judge and NC leader Hasnain Masoodi, who was a Lok Sabha member from 2019 to 2024, was elected from Pampore. PDP leader Mir Mohammad Fayaz, who won in Kupwara, had served in the Rajya Sabha from 2015 to 2021 and narrowly lost the 2014 Assembly elections by just 151 votes.

Other NC leaders with past Legislative Council experience include Bashir Ahmad Veeri (Srigufwara-Bijbehara), Saifuddin Bhat (Khansahib), Javaid Ahmad Mirchal (Karnah), Surinder Kumar Choudhary (Nowshera), and Showkat Hussain Ganie (Zainapora). From the BJP, Vikram Randhawa, who won the Bahu seat in Jammu, previously held a position in the Upper House.

The Upper House of the Jammu and Kashmir legislature was abolished following the region's reorganisation into two Union territories, marking a significant shift in the political landscape.