After most of the results of the District Development Council elections in Jammu and Kashmir were released on Wednesday morning, in which the BJP managed to win 74 seats, the party thanked the people of Jammu and Kashmir for “ their univocal faith in the policy of development and good governance ”. Calling the result a lotus flower in Jammu and Kashmir, the party congratulated the “brave and dedicated Karyakartas who worked fearlessly and tirelessly to make this possible.”
“The outcome of the DDC elections is a victory for the policies of the Government of India and the Jammu and Kashmir administration in the successful conduct of the elections. The biggest victory is for the locals who have supported the country’s democratic system, ”said BJP Secretary General Ram Madhav.
“This election has shown that no matter what you do against the National Conference, you cannot end its existence. Only the Almighty or the public has that power. Spreading lies and propaganda, but the truth will come out one day. ” National Conference leader and former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah said.
Here are the main takeaways from the inaugural election in the newly created union territory:
> The Popular Alliance for the Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) swept the inaugural District Development Council (DDC) polls by winning 110 seats.
> The BJP emerged as the largest party, winning 74 seats after securing the largest share of votes.
> However, Omar Abdullah said that the BJP cannot claim to be the largest party as regional parties contested far fewer seats due to the alliance.
> The counting of votes for the DDC’s 280 electoral districts, 14 each in 20 districts, began Tuesday morning after the peaceful completion of the eight-phase elections from November 28 to December 19.
> Results are still awaited from four constituencies, one in each Bandipora and Kupwara district of northern Kashmir and in Poonch and Rajouri districts in the Jammu region.
> Independent candidates have emerged as big winners in Jammu, 49 of whom have been declared elected so far out of 280 seats, putting them ahead of parties like Congress and the PPD. Among the great independent victories is Taranjit Singh, who defeated the BJP’s two-time MLA and former minister Sham Lal Choudhary in Suchetgarh, in the Jammu region, by a slim margin of 11 votes.
> Five of the seven former ministers who contested the DDC elections in Jammu and Kashmir have won, while two from the BJP suffered defeats.
> Former BJP minister Sham Lal Choudhary lost by a narrow margin of 11 votes in the Suchetgarh constituency of Jammu district in the first District Development Council (DDC) election.
(With PTI inputs)
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