Governments & Politics of Jammu Kashmir

Like all the states of India, Jammu and Kashmir has a multi-party democratic system of governance. Main political parties include the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference, the Indian National Congress and the Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party (PDP). Presently, the Indian National Congress and its ally PDP hold the maximum number of seats in the Jammu and Kashmir state assembly. Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad replaced PDP's Mufti Mohammed Sayeed as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir in late 2005.

The Constitution of India grants Jammu and Kashmir special autonomous status as a temporary provision through Article 370. However, some Muslim Kashmiris demand greater autonomy and sovereignty, while some non-Muslims would like to see the state fully integrated into India. However, in recent years Kashmiri Muslims have been leaning towards being in India due to economic reasons.

Jammu and Kashmir is the only Indian state that has its own flag. Designed by the Government of India, the state flag of Jammu and Kashmir is the native plough on a red background which is a symbol of labour. The three stripes represent the three administrative divisions of the state, namely Jammu, Vale of Kashmir, and Ladakh