NC no longer dependent on Congress as it gets support from 4 independent MLAs

New Delhi: The National Conference (NC), led by CM-designate Omar Abdullah, has achieved a majority in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, largely on its own, supplemented by the support of four independent lawmakers. 

The election, which witnessed high stakes and even higher engagement from voters, resulted in the NC clinching 42 seats out of the 90 contested.

The support of four independent MLAs to the NC will enable the party to cross the majority mark without the support of Congress. 

The four MLAs are Pyare Lal Sharma elected from Inderwal; Satish Sharma from Chhamb; Chaudhary Mohammad Akram from Surankote; and Rameshwar Singh from Bani – all from the Jammu province.

NC rebel Pyare Lal Sharma contested as an independent following the seat-sharing agreement between NC and Congress. Congress candidate Mohammad Zafarullah finished third.

Satish Sharma, a Congress rebel, is the son of Congress leader late Madan Lal Sharma, a two-time MP from Jammu-Poonch parliamentary constituency from 2004 to 2014, and also an elected legislator from Chhamb as well as Akhnoor.

Chaudhary Akram is the son of another veteran Congress leader late Chaudhary Mohammad Aslam. Akram joined the NC just before the polls but after the seat was allocated to the Congress in the alliance, he fought as an independent. Akram defeated the Congress candidate Mohammad Shahnawaz by over 8,000 votes.

The Congress, which had won six seats in alliance with the NC, may be given the least importance in the government formation process as the NC's numbers, bolstered by independent support, rendered the coalition dynamics obsolete. 

Political commentators noted the NC's majority as a clear mandate, free from the complexities of coalition horse-trading or dependence on external support for stability.

The BJP, which secured 29 seats, primarily in the Jammu region, continues to hold significant opposition power.