51 first-time MLAs set to join J&K Assembly as new session begins today

Srinagar, Nov. 03 : Fifty-one first-time MLAs will enter the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly tomorrow as the Union Territory’s new legislature opens its first session after recent elections. The assembly, comprising 90 members, will start proceedings, beginning with the election of a new Speaker, followed by an address from Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at 11:30 a.m. The newly elected Speaker will later place a copy of the Lieutenant Governor’s address on the Assembly table.
Minister for Agriculture Production, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Cooperatives, and Election, Javid Ahmed Dar, will propose Advocate Abdul Rahim Rather for the Speaker role, with Assembly Member Arjun Singh Raju seconding the motion.
The recent elections were the first in a decade and spanned three phases. The National Conference (NC) emerged as the single-largest party with 42 seats, including 24 first-time MLAs. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with 29 seats, has 15 newcomers, making up more than half of its elected members. The Congress, with six seats, includes two first-time legislators, while six of the seven winning Independents are also new to the Assembly. The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also elected first-time members.
Among the notable newcomers are PDP’s youth leader Waheed Para, AAP’s Mehraj Malik from Doda, and Mushtaq Ahmad Guroo from the NC, who won over Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari. Other newly elected members, though first-timers in the Assembly, bring experience from roles in the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, or the former Legislative Council.
Among them is former high court judge and NC leader Hasnain Masoodi, who served as a Lok Sabha MP from 2019 to 2024 and has now been elected from Pampore.
PDP leader Mir Mohammad Fayaz, who won in Kupwara, was a Rajya Sabha member from 2015 to 2021. The 47-year-old had narrowly lost the 2014 Assembly election by just 151 votes.
NC leaders Bashir Ahmad Veeri (Srigufwara-Bijbehara), Saifuddin Bhat (Khansahib), Javaid Ahmad Mirchal (Karnah), Surinder Kumar Choudhary (Nowshera), and Showkat Hussain Ganie (Zainapora) have previously served in the Legislative Council.
From the BJP, Vikram Randhawa, who won the Bahu seat in Jammu, also has experience in the Upper House of the legislature.
It is worth noting that the Upper House of the Jammu and Kashmir legislature was dissolved following the reorganization of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories.
Recently, the Jammu and Kashmir administration renovated the Legislative Assembly complex with additional facilities which includes chambers of the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and Leader of Opposition.
The session will continue with obituary references on November 5, and a discussion on the motion of thanks for the Lieutenant Governor’s address is planned for November 6 and 7, with replies on November 8.
A senior official confirmed that all arrangements for the session are complete. An advisory has been issued regarding entry and parking around the Civil Secretariat. Designated parking areas have been assigned for the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, Ministers, Speaker (pro-tem), and legislators at the Assembly Complex in Srinagar. Officials at the Civil Secretariat have been directed to assist with security and traffic management throughout the session.