Omar Abdullah was released on March 24, 2020 after more than seven months in detention.
Srinagar:
The leaders of the Popular Alliance led by Farooq Abdullah for the Gupkar Declaration have praised the people’s verdict in the local elections, saying they have given their opinion on the Center’s move to remove its special status and bifurcate it into two Union Territories. . While the vote count is still active, trends indicate progress for the seven-party amalgamation that was formed to help restore Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.
As of now, the Gupkar Alliance is ahead or won by a whopping 79 seats in Kashmir, Congress by 10 and the BJP by three seats. In Jammu, the BJP is ahead in 69 seats, the Gupkar Alliance in 35 seats and the Congress in 16 seats.
The BJP and its allies are ahead in 16 district councils in Jammu province, the Gupkar Alliance and Congress are ahead in four. In Kashmir, the Gupkar Alliance is leading in nine districts and one is likely to go to the JK Apni Party.
Pointing out the trends, former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweeted to say that the BJP “had made this election a prestigious issue on the special status of Art 370 & J & K. People have now spoken and it is for those who believe in democracy pay attention to these voices. “
All of us in the @JKPAGD We are deeply indebted and grateful to the people of J&K for their support at this critical juncture. We reaffirm our commitment to use all democratic and legal weapons at our disposal to continue fighting for our rights.
– Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) December 22, 2020
In another tweet, he recalled the long road traveled by the political leaders of the Gupkar Alliance over the past two years.
the @JKPAGD is an alliance that arose from the betrayal of the J&K people on August 5, 2019. We have faced all obstacles: illegal arrests, threats and pressure from agencies, our candidates were locked up to stop their campaign and all of this we are emerging victorious.
– Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) December 22, 2020
PPD chief Mehbooba Mufti said the results made it clear that the people voted in favor of the Gupkar alliance and rejected the Center’s “unconstitutional” decision to repeal Article 370.
Calling the victory “hard won”, Ms Mufti tweeted: “I was illegally detained three times over the course of fifteen days. PAGD candidates were locked up in a government building while others were prohibited from scrutiny. Despite all these obstacles, PAGD came out as the winner. “
Abdullah downplayed the foothold gained by the BJP in the Valley, pointing to the achievements of the People’s Alliance in Jammu, known to be a stronghold of the BJP.
I understand the temptation to exaggerate the 3 seats the BJP has won in the valley, but why underestimate the 35 wins / advantages of the @JKPAGD in Jammu province. We are not parties based in Kashmir, we are political parties with strong support in both Kashmir and Jammu.
– Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) December 22, 2020
The BJP has attributed its gains in the Kashmir Valley to the policies of the Narendra Modi government. Aijaz Hussain, who won the seat of the Khonmoh-II District Development Council in Srinagar, said the results show that a “propaganda has failed”.
People, he said, have shown their faith in the prime minister and his policies and this “is a message that nationalists are prospering in Kashmir.”
Voting took place in 280 seats, 14 in each of the 20 districts of the union’s territory, in eight phases over a 25-day period. The eight-phase election, the first to be held in the Union Territory after the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir last year and the subsequent arrest of political leaders, was a bitter competition between the BJP and the Declaration of the People’s Alliance. by Gupkar.
The BJP has dubbed the People’s Alliance the “Gupkar gang”, accusing them of being anti-national, especially after Farooq Abdullah’s speech in parliament in September advocating talks with Pakistan.
The coalition has been accused of “going global” by having “foreign forces intervene” on the issue of removing Article 370, taking away the rights of women and Dalits, and bringing back “terror and unrest” into the territory. of the Union.
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