December 23, 2020 8:52:16 pm
Srinagar: Salman Sagar from the National Conference congratulated by party workers, a day after he won the DDC elections (PTI Photo / S. Irfan)
The Popular Alliance for the Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) has swept the first surveys of the District Development Council (DDC) held in Jammu and Kashmir after the state lost its special status due to the repeal of Article 370. The seven-party coalition led by Farooq Abdullah, comprising the Abdullah National Conference (NC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from Mehbooba Mufti, has gained 110 seats. Meanwhile, the BJP won 75 seats after garnering the largest share of votes at the polls, the results of which were announced on Wednesday.
Of the 278 seats whose results have been declared by the Electoral Commission of JK, the Independents won 50, the Congress 26, the Apni Party 12, the PDF and the National Panthers Party two each and the BSP one seat. Results are still awaited from two electoral districts, one in Bandipora and Kupwara districts in northern Kashmir, as the counting of votes there has been postponed until further orders.
Among the PAGD constituents, the NC won the highest number of 67 seats, followed by the PDP (27), the Popular Conference (eight), the CPI (M) five and the JK Peoples Movement (three), obtaining a total turnout of more than 3.94 lakh votes. together.
Jammu: Counting of votes for the recently concluded District Development Council (PTI) elections
BJP has obtained a total of 4.87 lakh votes. While he won three seats in Kashmir, he managed to win a clear majority in five districts: Jammu, Kathua, Udhampur, Samba and Doda, and has an advantage in the Reasi district, all in the Jammu region.
Independents emerge as a key player in JK DDC polls
Independent candidates have emerged as big winners in the first Jammu and Kashmir DDC polls, winning 49 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.
While the BJP has secured control of at least six District Development Councils (DDCs) in Jammu, it has none in Kashmir. The People’s Alliance has a majority in nine DDCs, all in the Valley. As there is no clear majority in all five councils, independent candidates are likely to play the role of king makers.
J&K Management Tries To ‘Collect’ Independent BJP Candidates, Alleges Omar
The Vice President of the National Conference, Omar Abdullah, has alleged that the J&K authorities are “rallying” the independent candidates for the BJP. On Twitter, Omar alleged that the police took away a former party MLC to prevent him from contacting the independent DDC members, and that the authorities are transporting the members to Srinagar for “discussions”.
The administration has now taken on the responsibility of trying to gather independent candidates for the BJP and its newly formed subsidiary. It seems that the government does not have enough to do and has also diversified in this line of work.
– Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) December 23, 2020
“The administration has now taken on the responsibility of trying to gather independent candidates for the BJP and its newly formed subsidiary. It seems that the government does not have enough to do and has also diversified in this line of work, ”he tweeted.
Addressing party workers at NC Nawa-i-Subah headquarters, he said that people have made their point of view clear by supporting the People’s Alliance for the Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) in DDC polls. The North Carolina leader also said that he does not anticipate elections for the assembly in the territory of the union anytime soon due to the results of the elections.
“If you really say that democracy has won, then you will have to listen to the voices of the people, and the people of Jammu and Kashmir have said it with a large majority who do not accept (the decisions of) August 5, 2019,” said Abdullah .
Modi’s government restores grassroots democracy in JK: Shah
Union Interior Minister Amit Shah praised the BJP’s performance in the District Development Council (DDC) elections and said that the Modi government is doing everything possible to restore grassroots democracy in the territory of the Union.
In a series of tweets, Shah also thanked the people of Jammu and Kashmir for voting the BJP as the largest party in the first DDC polls.
Congratulations to the folks at J&K for such a great turnout in the DDC surveys. I applaud the efforts of our security forces and local administration to carry out these multi-phase elections successfully. This will further boost the morale and confidence of the J&K people in democracy.
– Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 23, 2020
“The Modi government is doing everything possible to restore grassroots democracy in Jammu and Kashmir. Recent DDC surveys conducted for the first time in J&K history bear witness to the same. The massive turnout in these elections reflects the people’s faith in democracy, ”he tweeted.
Congratulating the people of Jammu and Kashmir for “such a high turnout” in the DDC elections, the Home Secretary applauded the efforts of the security forces and the local administration to carry out these elections successfully in several phases, as this will further increase the morale and confidence of UT people in democracy.
Both the BJP and the People’s Alliance have rated the survey results as its success. While the BJP has described the result and voter participation as a contradiction to the “idea of the Gupkar Alliance”, the People’s Alliance has said that the people have rejected the “unconstitutional decision to repeal Article 370”.
(PTI inputs)
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