SRINAGAR: The People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), a conglomeration of seven parties, on Tuesday took a significant lead in the first-ever District Development Council (DDC) elections in Jammu and Kashmir even as the alliance’s main opponent, the BJP, emerged as the single largest party, sweeping the polls in many districts in the Jammu region while making some inroads in the Kashmir valley.
However, it is the independents — 40 of whom have already won — who will call the shots in many places, particularly in the valley, as majority has eluded any major player in those districts. Another 30 independents were leading in the counting, according to reports.