Apni Party was founded on March 8, 2020, at a time when Jammu and Kashmir was passing through an unprecedented phase of political and administrative turmoil. The region was still grappling with the aftermath of August 5, 2019—the revocation of Article 370 and the reorganisation of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories—events that had ushered in widespread uncertainty and unrest.

Under the leadership of Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, one of the most influential political figures in Jammu and Kashmir, the party’s core team includes several former MLAs, MLCs, and ministers. Mr. Bukhari himself has served the erstwhile state in key portfolios, including Minister for Works and Floriculture, and later as Minister for Education and Finance between 2014 and 2019.