For a change, the cheering of victories even BjpRivals were not resented by the Center, which saw it as a reaffirmation of the faith of voters and candidates in the fairness of the eight-phase elections.
“There was a time when India’s setback in a cricket match against Pakistan would see celebrations on the streets of Kashmir. But the fact that the DDC polls not only saw a good participation of the people in the Valley but also that the results were well received by the voters of the Popular Alliance for the Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), independents and other parties by same, shows that everyone wants grassroots democracy that will bring them the benefits of development. The good show of the independents reflects the emergence of a new and young leadership at the grassroots, ”said a senior government official. The participation of the Gupkar Alliance it was itself a gain in the post 370 scene.
Aijaz Hussain (C), the BJP candidate for the DDC polls celebrates after he won a DDC seat outside a counting center in Srinagar. (AFP photo)
Union Minister of State and BJP deputy from Udhampur Jitendra Singh told TOI: “The results of the DDC survey have established the BJP as a pan-J & K party with a presence in all regions of the Union Territory. , including Kashmir, where the party has won seats for the first time. ”
The most significant thing about the DDC polls is that J&K local elected representatives will, for the first time, pledge allegiance to the Constitution of India and not to the J&K constitution. “This type of establishes the purpose of the measure of the Center to annul Article 370 in J&K,” said the government official.
An Interior Ministry official said that the successful conduct and good voter turnout in the DDC polls will surely excite authorities to hold assembly elections in the state as soon as possible.
The DDC polls saw many traditional low turnout areas recording higher turnout compared to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, as well as the panchayat polls. For example, Srinagar garnered 35.3% of the votes, a big jump from 7.9% turnout in LS polls of 2019 and 14.50% in panchayat polls of 2018.
Awantipora, which recorded 0.4% polls in the 2018 panchayat polls and 3% in the 2019 LS polls, recorded 9.9% polls this time. Anantnag recorded 24.9% polls, a big improvement from 9.3% in 2018 polls and 13.8% in LS elections.
This, said a senior J&K government official, was despite the fact that these are the first elections to be held after the repeal of Article 370 and its timing during the harsh winter.
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