Mehraj Malik guides AAP to its inaugural victory in Jammu and Kashmir

Malik, a 36-year-old candidate, secured his electoral victory on Tuesday with a notable margin of 4,538 votes. He garnered a total of 23,228 votes, surpassing his closest rival, Gajay Singh Rana of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who received 18,690 votes. Khalid Najib Suharwardy from the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference finished in third place, polling 13,334 votes. The Doda assembly constituency, which has a total of 98,592 registered voters, experienced a voter turnout of 72.49% during the initial phase of voting on September 18. Historically, this constituency has demonstrated a lack of consistent voting patterns, with different political parties emerging victorious in successive elections. For instance, in 2014, the seat was won by Shakti Raj of the BJP, while the Congress party claimed victory in 2008. Malik’s success in Jammu and Kashmir signifies the growing influence of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has now established a foothold in five states, including Delhi and Punjab, and has also appointed two MLAs in Goa and five in Gujarat following the 2022 elections.