J&K DDC election results: Meet the three first-ever winners of BJP from Kashmir
The three historic wins gave the saffron party one of the reasons to celebrate the results, apart from the fact that it emerged as the single-largest party bagging 75 seats, 72 of them in Jammu division.
Jammu and Kashmir - Representative Image
At 21, Minha Lateef is not just among the youngest winners of the maiden District Development Council (DDC) polls in Jammu and Kashmir. But the law student is also one of three candidates who have given the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) its first-ever electoral success in Kashmir, the province in the erstwhile state otherwise dominated by regional heavyweights.
In local government polls, Kashmir votes for parties opposed to removal of Article 370
The majority of Jammu districts voted for the BJP, which ushered in sweeping legislative changes at the Centre. Dec 23, 2020 · 04:10 pm National Conference President Farooq Abdullah (second from right) at a party meeting with his son and NC leader Omar Abdullah (left) in Jammu. | Farooq Abdullah/ Twitter
These were the first direct elections held in Jammu and Kashmir after it lost special status and was split into two Union Territories on August 5, 2019. The largest number of seats were won by the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, a conglomerate of political parties fighting for the restoration of statehood and special status under Article 370 of the Constitution.