Mehbooba Mufti's Party Gains Ground In J&K Lok Sabha Seats, Reveals Mood Of The Nation Survey

The latest Mood of the Nation survey suggests the People's Democratic Party (PDP) could secure a Lok Sabha seat in Jammu & Kashmir, a significant turnaround from previous polls where it won none of the seats.

The People's Democratic Party (PDP), led by Mehbooba Mufti, might secure a seat if Lok Sabha elections were held today in Jammu and Kashmir, according to India Today's Mood of the Nation survey.

The survey suggests that the PDP, which did not win any seats in the recent Lok Sabha polls, could gain one out of the total five seats.

This potential gain might come from a seat previously won by an independent candidate. In the Lok Sabha elections held between April and June this year, the BJP and National Conference each secured two seats.

Meanwhile, the Congress and PDP, both part of the INDIA bloc, failed to win any seats. Independent candidate Abdul Rashid Sheikh, also known as Engineer Rashid, won the Baramulla seat by defeating National Conference leader Omar Abdullah.

Assembly Elections in Jammu and Kashmir

The Election Commission recently announced assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, marking the first such elections since Article 370 was abrogated on August 5, 2019. The last assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir were held in 2014. The upcoming elections will be conducted in three phases on September 18, September 25, and October 1 across 90 seats. Results are expected to be declared on October 4.

The Mood of the Nation poll was conducted ahead of these assembly elections to analyse voting trends if Lok Sabha elections were held today. It is important to note that voter sentiment and poll issues can differ significantly between national and state elections.

Survey Methodology

The August 2024 edition of India Today's Mood of the Nation survey was carried out by CVoter between July 15, 2024, and August 10, 2024. The survey included interviews with 40,591 respondents across all 543 Lok Sabha segments in India. Additionally, another set of 95,872 interviews from CVoter's regular weekly tracker was analysed to identify long-term trends in vote and seat share.

For more detailed insights from the Mood of the Nation report, readers are encouraged to subscribe to India Today Magazine.