1967 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election

Elections for the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir were held in February 1967.[1][2][3] Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq was appointed Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

1967 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election

← 1962 21 February 1967 1972 →

all 75 seats in Legislative Assembly
38 seats needed for a majority
Turnout58.8%
  First party Second party
 
INC
Leader Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad
Party INC JKNC
Leader's seat Amirakadal Safakadal
Last election New 70
Seats won Increase 61 8
Seat change New Decrease 62

  Third party
 
Party ABJS
Last election New
Seats won 3
Seat change New

Chief Minister before election

Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq
INC

Elected Chief Minister

Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq
INC

Background

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In 1965, the working committee of the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference announced that it would dissolve itself and merge with the Indian National Congress. A rival faction led by Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad refused to go along and contested the elections under the National Conference banner.[4]

Prior to that, in 1963, the Jammu Praja Parishad also merged into the national party Bharatiya Jana Sangh.[5] These mergers are seen by analysts as a major "centralizing strategy" and a victory for the Hindu nationalist agenda of the Praja Parishad and its allies.[6]

There were reports that Bakshi was planning to forge an electoral alliance with the Jana Sangh, despite their differences on the Article 370, but the alliance did not materialize. The Jana Sangh, whose main base was in the Jammu Division, planned to contest in the Kashmir Valley taking advantage of the rivalry between the Congress and the National Conference.[7]

The election

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Of the 75 seats, 42 seats were allocated to the Kashmir Valley, 31 to Jammu, and 2 to Ladakh.[7]

The National Conference contested 73 seats overall. The Jana Sangh contested all 31 seats of Jammu and several seats in the Valley. The Plebiscite Front officially boycotted the election, but several members contested as independent candidates, including the General Secretary Ali Mohammad Naik, who contested from Tral, and Ghulam Mohammed Bhat, contesting from Habbakadal in Srinagar. The Awami Action Committee also boycotted the election. Other parties that contested included the rump group of the National Conference under the leadership of Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad, the rump group of the Democratic National Conference under the leadership of Ram Piara Saraf, and the national parties Communist Party of India, Praja Socialist Party and the Hindu Mahasabha.[7]

The nomination papers of 118 candidates were rejected on technical grounds, 55 of them because the candidates had failed to take the obligatory oath of allegiance to the Constitution. As a result, 22 seats in the Valley were unopposed, resulting in a win for the Congress candidates.[8]

Simultaneously, elections were also held for the Lok Sabha (the Lower House of the Indian Parliament) in the 6 Lok Sabha constituencies of the State.[7]

Results

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The Indian National Congress won 61 seats in the state assembly, emerging as the winning party. Bakshi's National Conference won 8 seats and the Jana Sangh 3 seats. Three other seats were won by independent candidates, one of them by Ali Mohammed Naik of the Plebiscite Front.[3][9]

In the elections for the Lok Sabha, 5 of the 6 seats were won by the Congress, of which 2 were unopposed. The remaining seat was won by Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad of the National Conference, contesting from Srinagar. Scholar Sumantra Bose remarks that Bakshi might never have won a free election "at any point during his ten years in office", but he did so now holding the banner of Kashmiri regionalist resistance to New Delhi.[9]

 
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Indian National Congress423,92253.0261New
Jammu & Kashmir National Conference137,17917.168 62
Bharatiya Jana Sangh131,54216.453New
Others38,5524.8200
Independents68,3778.553 1
Total799,572100.00750
Valid votes799,57286.51
Invalid/blank votes124,72713.49
Total votes924,299100.00
Registered voters/turnout1,419,25365.13
Source: ECI[10]

Elected members

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Constituency Reserved for
(SC/None)
Member Party
Karnah None Mohammed Yunis Khan Indian National Congress
Kupwara None M. S. Tantray Indian National Congress
Lolab None Ghulam Nabi Wani Indian National Congress
Bandipora None M. A. Khan Indian National Congress
Handwara None Abdul Gani Lone Indian National Congress
Harli None Abdul Gani Mir Indian National Congress
Refiabad None Ghulam Rasul Kar Indian National Congress
Baramulla None Shamas-ud-din Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
Sopore None Gulam Nabi Mircha Indian National Congress
Pattan None G. R. Dar Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
Sonawari None Abdul Aziz Parray Indian National Congress
Gulmarg None Surinder Singh Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
Uri None M. M. Khan Indian National Congress
Kangan None M. B. Ahmad Indian National Congress
Ganderbal None Muhammad Maqbool Bhat Indian National Congress
Amirakadal None Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq Indian National Congress
Habakadal None S. K. Kaul Indian National Congress
Tankipora None N. Mohamad Indian National Congress
Khanyar None G. Ahmed Indian National Congress
Safakadal None B. G. Mohamad Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
Zadibal None Sheikh Abdullah Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
Hazaratbal None Mohammad Yahya Sidiqi Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
Beerwa None A. Quddus Indian National Congress
Khan Sahib None A. G. Namthali Indian National Congress
Badgam None H. S. Mehdi Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
Charari Sharief None Abdul Qayum Indian National Congress
Chadura None Ghulam Mustafa Mir Indian National Congress
Rajpura None G. M. Rajpori Indian National Congress
Pulwama None Master Sanaullah Sheikh Indian National Congress
Pampore None P. M. Shah Indian National Congress
Tral None Ali Muhammad Naik Independent
Shopian None S. A. Shamim Independent
Noorabad None A. Aziy Indian National Congress
Devsar None Manohar Nath Kaul Indian National Congress
Kulgam None Mohammed Yaqub Bhat Indian National Congress
Nandi None A. Rehman Indian National Congress
Pahalgam None M. Lal Indian National Congress
Bijibehara None Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Indian National Congress
Anantnag None Shamasuddin Indian National Congress
Kothar None Mohammad Ashraf Khan Indian National Congress
Verinag None Syed Mir Qasim Indian National Congress
Naubug None Hassan-ud-din Indian National Congress
Leh None Sonam Wangyal Indian National Congress
Kargil None Kacho Muhammad Ali Khan Independent
Kishtwar None Ghulam Mustafa Indian National Congress
Inderwal None Abdul Gani Goni Indian National Congress
Bhaderwah SC J. Ram Indian National Congress
Doda None Lassa Wani Indian National Congress
Ramban None H. Raj Indian National Congress
Banehal None M. Akhtar Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
Gulabgarh None Mohammed Ayub Khan Indian National Congress
Reasi None B. L. Kohstani Indian National Congress
Tikri None Shiv Charan Gupta Bharatiya Jana Sangh
Udhampur None Hem Raj Indian National Congress
Ramnagar SC Chandu Lal Indian National Congress
Basohli None Mangat Ram Sharma Indian National Congress
Billawar None B. Singh Indian National Congress
Kathua SC Panjaboo Ram Indian National Congress
Jasmargarh None Girdhari Lal Dogra Indian National Congress
Samba SC Parma Nand Indian National Congress
Ramgarh None D. Nath Indian National Congress
Bishnah SC Bhagat Chhaju Ram Indian National Congress
Ranbirsinghpura None K. Singh Indian National Congress
Jandrah Gharota None Rangil Singh Indian National Congress
Marh SC Guranditta Mal Indian National Congress
Jammu Cantonment None P. T. Dutta Indian National Congress
Jammu South None R. Nath Bharatiya Jana Sangh
Jammu North None Prem Nath Dogra Bharatiya Jana Sangh
Akhnoor None Dharm Paul Indian National Congress
Chamb None Chhaju Ram Indian National Congress
Nowshera None Beli Ram Indian National Congress
Darhal None M. Hussain Indian National Congress
Rajouri None A. Rashid Indian National Congress
Mendhar None Chaudhary Muhammad Aslam Indian National Congress
Poonch None Ghulam Mir Mohamad Indian National Congress

Government formation

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On 17 March, a 14-member ministry headed by G. M. Sadiq was sworn in. The Cabinet ministers included Girdhari Lal Dogra, D. P. Dhar, Mohammed Ayub Khan, Peer Giasuddin and Kanwar Ranjit Singh. Abdul Gani Lone was among the Ministers of State, and Mufti Mohammed Sayeed was among the Deputy Ministers.

References

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  1. ^ Das Gupta, Jammu and Kashmir 2012, pp. 380–381.
  2. ^ 1967 J&K elections
  3. ^ a b Statistical Report on General Election, 1967, Election Commission of India.
  4. ^ Bose, Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace 2003, pp. 82–83.
  5. ^ Kedar Nath Kumar (1990), Political Parties in India, Their Ideology and Organisation, Mittal Publications, pp. 108–, ISBN 978-81-7099-205-9
  6. ^ Bose, Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace 2003, p. 82.
  7. ^ a b c d Das Gupta, Jammu and Kashmir 2012, p. 380.
  8. ^ Bose, Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace 2003, p. 85.
  9. ^ a b Bose, Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace 2003, p. 86.
  10. ^ "Jammu & Kashmir 1967". Election Commission of India. Retrieved 22 June 2022.

Bibliography

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