The Plebiscite Front was a political party in the India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n state of Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...

 that called for a "popular plebiscite" to decide if the state should remain part of India, join Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

 or become independent. The patron of the party was Sheikh Abdullah, the former Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and chief of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, even though he never formally joined it.

Foundation

The Plebiscite Front was founded on August 9, 1955 by Afzal Beg, a senior leader of the National Conference and lieutenant of Sheikh Abdullah, and formally launched in 1958. This followed the 1953 ouster of Sheikh Abdullah from the post of Prime Minister and subsequent arrest by police. While Abdullah commanded the loyalty of its members and guided its politics, Afzal Beg remained the titular president.

Political stands

The Plebiscite Front became the principal opposition to the state government, now headed by Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad

Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad

Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed ruled the State of Jammu and Kashmir as Prime Minister for eleven years from 1953 to 1964.Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed was educated at C.M.S Tyndale Biscoe School. He started his career as a school teacher in far flung areas of Jammu and Kashmir like Skardu and Leh and later...

 (1953-63), Khwaja Shamsuddin (1963-64) and Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq

Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq

Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq was the Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir from 1964 to 1965, when the position was abolished. He then served as Chief Minister from 1965-71....

 (1964-71). The Front called for a plebiscite or referendum to be held under the auspicies of the United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

, to decide the issue of sovereignty over Jammu and Kashmir. Sheikh Abdullah's demand for a plebiscite led to the boycotting of state elections in the 1960s by large numbers of the state's population. However, this enabled easy election victories for the National Conference, which was supported by the Union government and remained in power for most of the decade.

Indira-Sheikh accord

By 1972, the Front had emphasized that any plebiscite was not intended to contest Kashmir's accession to India. Plebiscite Front chief Afzal Beg stated that while a plebiscite would put Kashmir's accession into India on "a lasting foundation", his party was no longer insisting on holding a plebiscite. The Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi

Indira Gandhi

Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...

 welcomed the Front's willingness to confirm Indian sovereignty and held talks with Sheikh Abdullah. The 1974 Indira-Sheikh accord

1974 Indira-Sheikh accord

1974 Indira–Sheikh accord was signed by on behalf of Sheikh Abdullah and then Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi whereby Sheikh became the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir again after 11 years. The text of the agreement is reproduced below:...

 confirmed the support of Sheikh Abdullah and the Plebiscite Front for Indian sovereignty over Kashmir and ended the demand for a plebiscite in return for extensive autonomy and self-government under Article 370 of the Constitution of India

Constitution of India

The Constitution of India is the supreme law of India. It lays down the framework defining fundamental political principles, establishes the structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions, and sets out fundamental rights, directive principles, and the duties of citizens...

.

Dissolution

Following the agreement with the Union government, Sheikh Abdullah merged the Plebiscite Front into a renewed National Conference in 1975, which won the democratic elections and affirmed Abdullah as the new Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.