Founded as the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference by Sheikh Abdullah and Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas in 1932 in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, the organisation renamed itself to National Conference in 1939 in order to represent all the people of the state.

The revived Muslim Conference supported the accession of the princely state to Pakistan and led the movement for Azad Kashmir.

In October 1932, Sheikh Abdullah founded the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference in collaboration with Mirwaiz Yusuf Shah and Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas.

In the elections held in September 1951, National Conference won all 75 seats of the Constituent assembly of Jammu and Kashmir.

Sheikh Abdullah remained prime minister until his dismissal in August 1953 on the grounds of conspiracy against the state of India.

Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad became prime minister of the state, and Sheikh Abdullah was arrested on 9 August 1953.

In 1977, the National Conference he led won the state assembly elections, and Sheikh Abdullah became chief minister.

Acting on the behest of the central government, the governor dismissed Farooq as chief minister and replaced him with Ghulam Mohammad Shah.

In the contested state assembly elections of 1987, the JKNC formed an alliance with the INC, and was declared to have won a majority.

The JKNC led by Farooq's son Omar Abdullah emerged as a single largest party, winning 28 seats.

[14] In 2024 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election, J&K National Conference won 42 seats in total, while BJP came second with 29 seats won and Omar Abdullah became the chief minister of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Additionally, the JKNC aims to encourage dialogue between India and Pakistan to address the Kashmir issue[18] The revocation of Article 370 was part of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) efforts to fully integrate Jammu and Kashmir into India, a move that has faced significant opposition from local political parties like the JKNC.

[citation needed] The National Conference's current leadership, including Omar Abdullah, has reiterated their determination to pursue statehood and autonomy through legal and political channels.