NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) secured its maiden victory in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections on Tuesday, marking its entry into a fifth state. AAP candidate Mehraj Malik emerged victorious in the Doda constituency, defeating his closest competitor from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by a margin of over 4,538 votes. Malik, who currently serves as a District Development Council (DDC) member, garnered 23,228 votes, while BJP’s Gajay Singh Rana received 18,690 votes.
Other prominent candidates in the race included National Conference leader and former minister Khalid Najib Suharwardy and DPAP leader Abdul Majid Wani, who secured 13,334 and 10,027 votes, respectively.Congress candidate Sheikh Riaz Ahmad finished in fifth place with 4,170 votes.
Earlier this year, Malik had contested the Lok Sabha elections from the Udhampur constituency but was unsuccessful in his bid.
In the assembly elections, AAP fielded candidates in seven out of the 90 assembly segments.
The party, which currently holds power in Delhi and Punjab, was accorded national party status in September 2022. Additionally, AAP has elected representatives in the states of Gujarat and Goa.
Later, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal congratulated the party for their triumph in the Doda Assembly seat in Jammu and Kashmir. Kejriwal expressed his appreciation for Malik’s well-fought election and congratulated the entire party for having an MLA in the fifth state through a Hindi post on X.
The Aam Aadmi Party, currently governing Punjab and Delhi, also has representation in the legislative assemblies of Gujarat and Goa. Atishi, a senior party leader and the Chief Minister of Delhi, emphasised that Arvind Kejriwal’s “revolution” reached Jammu and Kashmir with Malik’s victory.
The party’s headquarters near Mandi House witnessed celebrations by party leaders and workers, who distributed sweets and danced to the rhythm of drums to mark the win.
