Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election, 2002

Jammu and Kashmir state assembly elections, 2002

1996 ← 16 September 2002 to 8 October 2002 → 2008

all 87 seats in Legislative Assembly 44 seats needed for a majority Turnout 45%   First party Second party Third party   Leader Farooq Abdullah - Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Party JKN INC PDP Last election 57 7 - Seats won 28 20 16 Seat change 29 13 16   Fourth party Fifth party   Leader Bhim Singh Party JKNPP BJP Last election 1 8 Seats won 4 1 Seat change 3 7

Chief Minister before election Farooq Abdullah JKN Elected Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed PDP (in coalition with the INC and JKNPP)

Farooq Abdullah
JKN

Mufti Mohammad Sayeed
PDP
(in coalition with the INC and JKNPP)

Elections for the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir were held in September -October 2002 in four phases.Mufti Mohammad Sayeed became Chief Minister of Jammu Kashmir after the elections. In 2005 under a coalition agreement INC's Ghulam Nabi Azad became Chief Minister. He was the first Indian National Congress party Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. In reaction terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad had conducted a suicide car bomb attack in Srinagar killing six people just hours before Azad's swearing-in.Panthers Party formed part of the ruling coalition with Harsh Dev Singh becoming the party's first cabinet minister.

Electronic Voting Machines were used for first time in Jammu Kashmir assembly elections in 2002. The international community also appreciated the credibility of the elections and the results that followed it. The elections was seen as a victory of the ballot over the bullet. United States lauded 2002 elections of the state. There were 1.7 million voters in the state for 2002 elections.

The first phase voting took place on 16 September 2002. There was a polling station for just 11 voters in Zanskar. BJP contested on 52 seats while Jammu State Morcha contested on 12 seats. National Conference president Omar Abdullah contested from Ganderbal seat. Separatists had varied views on the elections ranging from voting to boycott of elections.

The four stages of the elections were held as follows:

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