National Conference of Jammu and Kashmir

The transformation of the role of the National Conference (NC) from a hegemonic actor to the single largest party of the state has to be located in the larger political context of the state in the last 15 years. This political context, defined by the contestation of legitimacy of mainstream politics on the one hand and the situation of armed militancy and separatism on the other had constricted the very nature of democratic politics. The relevance of the NC today extends beyond competitive regional politics. Its claim as the initiator of the tradition of the political movement in Kashmir and its contribution to the evolution of Kashmiri identity politics, assume importance in the contemporary situation of the state.