BJP’s maiden win in Kashmir polls, Cong sweeps Leh
The BJP has, for the first time, managed to win seats in Kashmir councils and committees in the four-phase elections to local bodies, counting for which began early on Saturday amid tight security at various centres.
The Congress won two prominent municipal councils of Kashmir, while most of the independent candidates bagged seats in Srinagar Municipal Corporation. The BJP emerged victorious in the Jammu Municipal Corporation.
The elections saw abysmal voter turnout with just over 4 % of them casting their votes in Kashmir while Ladakh and Jammu regions saw good participation.
In Jammu Municipal Corporation, the BJP emerged as a single largest party, signalling that its base in urban Jammu is still intact. However, the BJP candidates could just win four seats in Srinagar Municipal Corporation.
At the end of third round of counting, independents had won 19, Congress 10 and BJP four seats in 74 member Srinagar Municipal Corporation.
In South Kashmir’s Anantnag Municipal Council, Congress bagged 20 out of 23 wards while the BJP won in three wards.
In Baramulla Municipal Council, Congress won 12, while BJP stood second with six seats in 21 member council.
In Leh municipality, Congress swept all the 13 seats. The party won five wards in Kargil while independents were declared elected to nine wards. The BJP drew a blank in Leh and Kargil Municipal area.
Two big mainstream parties NC and the PDP had stayed away from these polls blaming the government for linking the case of Article 35A of the Constitution with the local body and panchayat elections.
In run up to these elections, Kashmir witnessed no campaigning and many people didn’t have idea about the contesting candidates. Kashmir witnessed 4.2 % polling while Ladakh and Jammu recorded 62.1 and 68.7 % polling respectively.
Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress president, Ghulam Ahmad Mir told Hindustan Times that Congress won 15 Councils and Committees in Kashmir division and nine in Jammu division. ‘’Our party emerged as single largest party in SMC Srinagar; however we lost Jammu Municipal Corporation. We will try to get Mayor in Srinagar by allying with secular forces.’’
BJP state spokesman, Altaf Thakur that till now BJP never had a single elected representative in Kashmir.
“This time we have won eight councilsandcommitteesinKashmir. More than 100 BJP candidates won from their wards which is a big achievement. We have won 3 seats in Srinagar Municipal Corporation and there is every possibility that Mayor will be person who will be an ally of our party.’’
BJP general secretary Ashok Kaul said that BJP has performed well in the state. “We have won for the first time in Kashmir. In Jammu Municipal Corporation our party has won 43 seats and in Jammu we have won 12 councils and committees. And from Kashmir we have already won seven to eight councils and committees which is an encouraging sign.’’
Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq described the polls as sham elections.
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