Following the recent Jammu and Kashmir assembly election results, four independent MLAs who had earlier left the National Conference (NC) due to a dispute over ticket distribution are reportedly set to rejoin the party after the NC-Congress alliance’s strong performance.
In this election, the NC emerged as the largest party, securing 42 seats in the 90-member assembly, while the BJP won 29 seats, and the Congress took six. Among the independents, seven candidates won their respective seats.
Notably, Muzaffar Iqbal Khan, a former judge, defeated BJP’s Mohd Iqbal Malik in the Thannamandi constituency by 6,179 votes. Meanwhile, the INDIA alliance candidate Mohd Shabir Khan, who ran on a Congress ticket, placed fourth with 7,508 votes.
In Inderwal, independent candidate Payare Lal Sharma narrowly won against fellow independent Ghulam Mohammad Saroori by a margin of 643 votes, while the Congress candidate, Mohd Zafarullah, finished third. Sharma, who ran independently after the NC-Congress alliance allocated the seat to Congress, expressed his continued allegiance to the NC and traveled to Srinagar to meet the party leadership.
Choudhary Mohammed Akram also secured a victory in Surankote, defeating alliance candidate Mohammad Shahnawaz Chowdhary by 8,851 votes. Senior political leader Mohd Aslam Kohli, who campaigned for Akram, confirmed that the NC leadership is in contact and that Akram has decided to return to the party.
Dr. Rameshwar Singh, another independent, defeated BJP candidate and former MLA Jewan Lal in Bani by 2,048 votes.
A senior NC leader confirmed that the four independent MLAs, originally part of the NC, are in touch with the leadership and are expected to rejoin the party. With their return, the NC is poised to claim a majority in the assembly.