Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election, 1972

Jammu and Kashmir state assembly elections, 1972

17 June 1972

all 75 seats in Legislative Assembly 38 seats needed for a majority Turnout 60.5%   First party   Party INC Last election 61 Seats won 58 Seat change 3   Third party   Party BJS Last election 3 Seats won 3

Chief Minister before election Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq INC Elected Chief Minister Syed Mir Qasim INC

Elections for the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir were held over January 1972.^[1] Syed Mir Qasim was appointed Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. For the first time women entered the Jammu and Kashmir assembly in 1972 assembly elections. That year, ten women filed their nominations, six of them contested and four won.^[2] This made the percentage of women legislators 5.33% in Jammu Kashmir assembly.

Aftermath

In 1971 an insurrection broke out in erstwhile East Pakistan, and subsequently war broke out between India and Pakistan which ended in the creation of Bangladesh. Sheikh Abdullah watching the alarming turn of events in the subcontinent realised that for the survival of this region there was an urgent need to stop pursuing confrontational politics and promoting solution of issues by a process of reconciliation and dialogue rather than confrontation.Critics of sheikh hold the view that he sold cherished goal of plebesite for gaining chief ministers chair. He started talks with the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for normalising the situation in the region and came to an accord called 1974 Indira-Sheikh accord with Indira Gandhi, then India's Prime Minister, by giving up the demand for a plebiscite in lieu of the people being given the right to self-rule by a democratically elected Government (as envisaged under article 370 of the Constitution of India) rather than the puppet government which till then ruled the State.^[3] Syed Mir Qasim most famously offered to resign from the office of Chief Minister in order to encourage and institutionalize the landmark 1974 Indira-Sheikh accord in 1975.

References

1. 1972 J&K elections
2. "Kudos to Mehbooba Mufti, but where are Kashmir’s female politicians?".
3. Sheikh Abdullah; M.Y. Taing (1985), p827-838