In a significant victory, NC's Javid Hassan Baig won the Baramulla assembly seat in J&K, defeating Shabir Ahmad Lone of the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) by a margin of 11,773 votes. Baig secured a total of 22,523 votes, while Lone received 10,750 votes. Veteran Muzaffar Hussain Baig followed in third place with 5,872 votes.

Javid Hassan Baig had earlier won the seat in 2014 as PDP candidate.

Electorate and Key Candidates

Veteran Muzaffar Hussain Baig, founding member of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), left the party following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, reportedly due to a rift with Mehbooba Mufti. Baig previously won the seat in 2002 and 2008 as a PDP candidate. He is now facing his nephew, Javid Hassan Baig, who is contesting on a National Conference ticket; Javid previously won the seat in 2014 as a PDP candidate.

Other main candidates in the Baramulla seat include Mohammad Rafiq Rather from the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (JKPDP), Mir Iqbal Ahmad from the Congress Party, Shabir Ahmad Lone from the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP), and Asif Akber Lone from the Jammu and Kashmir People Conference (JKPC). Notably, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not contesting this constituency.

In 2008, Muzaffar Hussain Baig won the Baramulla seat for the second consecutive time. In the 2002 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, he defeated Ghulam Nabi Kachru of the JKNC and independent candidate Khursheed Ahmed. Prior to that, in 1996 and 1987, the constituency was won by JKNC candidates Mujahid Mohd Abdullah and Sheikh Mohamad Maqbool, respectively.

Vote Share (2014)

Winner: Javid Hassan Baig (JKPDP): 14,418 votes, 43.75 % (vote share)

Gh. Hassan Rahi (JKNC): 7,401 votes, 22.46 % (vote share)

Margin of Victory: 7,017

Party Performance in Previous Elections

In the 2014 assembly elections, the PDP emerged as the single-largest party in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, securing 28 out of 87 seats. The BJP followed closely as the second-largest party with 25 seats, while the National Conference and Congress managed only 15 and 12 seats, respectively.

Background of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections

As the region recently held assembly elections in phases on September 18, September 25, and October 1, this election marks the first since the abrogation of Article 370. The Election Commission of India reported a noteworthy voter turnout of 63.88% in these elections. In this election cycle, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference and Congress contested jointly as partners in the INDIA alliance, while the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) opted to fight independently.