General News Archives | Page 2 of 349

Faith, Faction, and the Ballot: Three ‘Aga’ Candidates Lock Horns in Budgam Bypoll 2025

October 22, 2025 Editor

With NC, PDP, and BJP fielding Aga candidates, the contest transcends party lines—testing loyalties, legacies, and the future of Shia representation. By: Javid Amin | 21 October 2025 An Unprecedented Political Triangle in Central Kashmir The upcoming Budgam Assembly by-election, scheduled for November 11, 2025, has taken an extraordinary turn — not because of its high-profile parties, but because of its unusually personal political dynamics. For the first time in Kashmir’s electoral history, three prominent candidates from the same Shia clerical lineage — all bearing the title “Aga” — are…

Budgam By-Election 2025: 19 Candidates in the Fray as Battle for Central Kashmir Heats Up

October 21, 2025 Editor

A Crowded Field for a Symbolic Battle By: Javid Amin | 20 October 2025 The political landscape of Budgam, one of central Kashmir’s most politically sensitive constituencies, is witnessing a surge of activity ahead of the November 11, 2025 by-election.A total of 19 candidates have filed their nominations by the October 20 deadline, signaling a high-stakes and potentially transformative electoral contest. The bypoll, set against a backdrop of shifting alliances and growing voter assertion, has become a litmus test for public sentiment in post-Article 370 Jammu & Kashmir. The seat…

Omar Abdullah Vows to Revoke Public Safety Act After J&K Statehood Restoration

October 19, 2025 Editor

Omar Abdullah Vows to Scrap PSA After J&K Statehood Restoration By: Javid Amin | 18 October 2025 A Defining Promise for Post-UT J&K In a politically charged statement, Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, has vowed to revoke the Public Safety Act (PSA) immediately after the restoration of statehood. The announcement, made during a press conference in Srinagar on October 18, 2025, has sent ripples across political and civil society circles. It is one of the most direct commitments by any mainstream leader in J&K in recent years…

Congress Keeps ‘All Options Open’ for J&K Bypolls

October 19, 2025 Editor

Party weighs alliance dynamics and statehood push ahead of November elections By: Javid Amin | 18 October 2025 The Jammu & Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) has announced that it is exploring “all possible options” for fielding candidates in the upcoming Assembly by-elections for Budgam (Kashmir) and Nagrota (Jammu), scheduled for November 11, 2025. While the statement may sound routine, insiders and analysts view it as part of a larger recalibration of Congress’s political strategy in the Union Territory — one that balances coalition arithmetic with grassroots revival under its…

Electrifying U-Turn: Omar Abdullah’s Prepaid Meter Push Sparks Public Outrage

October 18, 2025October 18, 2025 Editor

Where Has the Free Electricity Promise Gone? By: Javid Amin | 17 October 2025 Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s government is under fire after announcing a full-scale rollout of prepaid smart electricity meters across Jammu & Kashmir — a move sharply contrasting with his 2024 election promise of providing 200 units of free electricity per month to poor households. The announcement has unleashed a wave of anger and disillusionment, with opposition parties branding it a “betrayal of the poor” and civil society groups accusing the administration of “digitalizing hardship under the…

J&K’s Roads Claim More Lives Than Anywhere in the Country: A Deep Dive Into a Growing Public Safety Crisis

October 17, 2025October 17, 2025 Editor

A Deadly Road Reality in Jammu & Kashmir By: Javid Amin | 16 October 2025 Every year, the picturesque valleys and rugged mountains of Jammu and Kashmir attract millions of tourists, yatris, and pilgrims. But beneath the scenic beauty lies a grim reality: J&K’s roads are among the deadliest in the country. A recent study has revealed that the Union Territory records nearly double the national average in road accident fatalities, outpacing many larger states with far denser populations. Between 2019 and October 2024, 4,899 lives were lost and 40,065…

Omar Abdullah Urges PM Modi: ‘Restore Statehood to Solve J&K’s Challenges’

October 17, 2025October 17, 2025 Editor

On the first anniversary of the NC-led government, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah made a direct and passionate appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to restore full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. By: Javid Amin | 16 October 2025 A Direct Appeal to Delhi On the first anniversary of his government, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah made a pointed and emotional appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the Union Government to restore full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. Speaking at a town hall event in Srinagar, Omar declared: “We…

Omar Abdullah at One Year: Promise, Patience and the Politics of Expectation

October 16, 2025 Editor

Omar Abdullah Completes One Year — Statehood, Jobs and the Credibility Test | Jammu & Kashmir Politics 2025 By: Javid Amin | 15 October 2025 One year after Omar Abdullah’s National Conference (NC) returned to power on a program promising “Dignity, Identity and Development”, the administration’s scoreboard is thin: symbolic wins exist, structural reforms do not. Statehood restoration and constitutional remedies remain unrealized; major employment and police-reform promises are still pending. At the same time the political environment shows fleeting openings — alliance tensions with Congress over Rajya Sabha seat-sharing,…

Kishtwar Cloudburst Tragedy: 32 Still Missing, Families Wait for Closure in the Shadow of the Himalayas

October 15, 2025 Editor

A Himalayan Tragedy That Refuses to Fade Away By: Javid Amin | 14 October 2025 The narrow valley of Chosoti in Kishtwar, Jammu & Kashmir, once echoed with the devotional chants of yatris making their way to Machail Mata Temple. Today, it echoes with silence. On August 24, 2025, a sudden cloudburst triggered catastrophic flash floods and landslides, washing away homes, pilgrimage shelters, bridges, and hundreds of lives in a matter of minutes. At least 66 people were confirmed dead, but 32 remain missing, swallowed by the unforgiving terrain of…

Sajad Gani Lone Says People’s Conference to Abstain from Jammu & Kashmir Rajya Sabha Vote; NC, BJP ‘Indistinguishable’

October 15, 2025 Editor

On October 14, 2025, Sajad Gani Lone, President of the People’s Conference (PC) and MLA from Handwara, made a striking political announcement. The PC will abstain from voting in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Jammu & Kashmir. Lone emphatically declared: “I will never vote for the National Conference (NC)”, and underlined that, in his view, the NC and BJP have become indistinguishable in how they conduct politics.This stance adds a new dimension to the already heated political atmosphere in J&K, where regional parties, national parties, and alliances are constantly…