JAMMU: The fate of 2,178 candidates, including 450 women, who vied for 280 seats in the District Development Council (DDC) in Jammu and Kashmir will be decided on Tuesday.
J&K State Elections Commissioner KK Sharma told reporters Monday that the count will begin at 9 am and the results will be available online “in a dynamic way.”
Sharma further reported that the overall average voting percentage in the eight phases of the first DDC polls was 51.42% and more than 3,000,000 votes will be counted.
Elections at this third level of the Panchayati Raj system were held for the first time in J&K and were the first mass elections after the repeal of the provisions of Article 370 in August 2019.
The voting was carried out in eight phases beginning on November 28 and ending on December 19. Up to 57 lakh eligible voters exercised their right to vote in the elections, which were largely peaceful.
Seven major Kashmir-focused political parties, including the National Conference (NC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PFDP), contested the elections in an alliance under the banner of the People’s Alliance Declaration for Gupkar (PAGD) formed for the restoration of Article 370. Congress was only in the last seven phases.
BJP spokesman and head of Kashmir affairs Syed Shahnawaz Hussain told TOI that he will fly back to Delhi after the announcement of the DDC results to inform BJP leaders of “Kashmir needs.”
“I have had a new experience during my visit to Kashmir this time, that also after the repeal of Article 370. People yearn for full-time power supply, as well as good roads and jobs, which is the right of all citizens of our country, “he said.
“I realized the need to develop new tourist spots like Doodpathri in Budgam in central Kashmir and Gurez in the north. I have many more ideas in mind for the development of the Kashmir Valley, ”he added.
Meanwhile, police reportedly detained two PPD leaders – Sartaj Madni, Mehbooba Mufti’s maternal uncle, and Peerzada Mansoor Hussain, former vice president of the Khadi and Village Industries Board – on Monday. However, no official confirmation of the arrests was provided to the media.
Madni was allegedly involved in “clandestine dating at J&K bank” and has been indicted by the anti-corruption office. Mansoor Hussain is also alleged to be involved in a corruption case, currently pending in court, ACB sources said.
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