17 November 1983 to 24 November 1983 1987 → 47 11 Start date 1983 | Turnout 73.2% 46 26 | |
Winner Farooq Abdullah | ||
Elections for the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir were held over October 1983. The Jammu & Kashmir National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah was appointed Chief Minister.
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Background
1983 Jammu and Kashmir elections cemented the political polarisation on religious lines after Indira Gandhi campaigned aggressively in Jammu and Kashmir state, raising the bogey of a 'Muslim invasion' in the Jammu region because of the Resettlement Bill,passed by the-then NC government,which gave Kashmiris who left for Pakistan between 1947 and 1954 the right to return, reclaim their properties and resettle.
The issue was opposed by Indira Gandhi and she got President Zail Singh to seek a presidential reference, despite the Act being passed by the Jammu Kashmir assembly twice in 1982.
Result
Indira Gandhi's strategy yielded dividends in the 1983 state elections and the Congress won 26 , while the NC secured 46. Barring an odd constituency, all victories of the Congress were in the Jammu and Ladakh regions, while NC swept the Kashmir Valley. The 1983 poll set the tone for any future Congress-NC alliance - the Congress allotting itself seats mainly in the Jammu and Ladakh regions, while the NC limiting itself to Kashmir Valley.