The seven-party Gupkar alliance led by Farooq Abdullah was ahead in the seat tally in the maiden District Development Council polls in Jammu and Kashmir by winning or leading in 112 seats out of 280 on Tuesday, followed by the BJP which had won 52 seats, including three in the Kashmir valley for the first time, and was frontrunner in 18. The People s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) has bagged 82 seats and is leading in 30. Thirty-eight Independents, mainly disgruntled leaders from all political parties, have been declared winners and the same number are leading in other seats. The Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) put up a dismal performance by bagging seven seats and leading in another five. The Congress has so far won 19 seats and is leading in nine other council seats.
J&K DDC Polls: BJP opens account in Kashmir
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Synopsis
The DDC elections results are significant for BJP as for the first time it has opened its political account in Kashmir by winning three wards. Although the Kashmir results aren’t as per party’s expectations, BJP leaders ET spoke with said the party “has been successful in unlocking the Valley’s door”.
ET Bureau
New Delhi: The DDC elections results are significant for BJP as for the first time it has opened its political account in Kashmir by winning three wards. Although the Kashmir results aren’t as per party’s expectations, BJP leaders ET spoke with said the party “has been successful in unlocking the Valley’s door”. In Jammu, the party did well and in six out of 10 districts BJP can elect its chairman on its own.
J&K DDC polls: Gupkar alliance takes Kashmir, BJP maintains hold on Jammu
J&K DDC polls: Gupkar alliance takes Kashmir, BJP maintains hold on Jammu
The People s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) has bagged a large chunk of the seats in the Jammu and Kashmir DDC polls and called it a referendum on the abrogation of Article 370. Meanwhile, BJP maintained its stronghold in the Jamu region.
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UPDATED: December 23, 2020 00:45 IST
The People s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) came into being at the time of the abrogation of Article 370. (Photo: PTI)
The seven-party Gupkar alliance led by Farooq Abdullah was ahead in the seat tally in the maiden District Development Council polls in Jammu and Kashmir by winning or leading in 112 seats out of 280 on Tuesday, followed by the BJP which had won 52 seats, including three in the Kashmir valley for the first time, and was frontrunner in 18.
The Farooq Abdullah-led People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration is heading for a big victory in the first local polls in Jammu and Kashmir since it lost its special status and was turned into a Union Territory last year. In the first-ever District Development Council (DDC) polls in J&K, regional parties surged ahead in Kashmir while the BJP kept an upper hand in the Jammu region. In the latest leads, the Gupkar alliance a grouping of seven mainstream J&K-based parties, including rivals National Conference and Mehbooba Mufti’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is ahead in 108 seats; the BJP is leading in 60 seats. The Congress is ahead in 22.
Srinagar:The BJP on Tuesday won an election for the first time from any seat in Kashmir while facing regional heavyweights like the National Conference and the PDP.
Aijaz Hussain won the Khonmoh-II District Development Council seat in Srinagar, while Aijaz Ahmad Khan gave the party more reason to cheer by winning the Tulail seat in Bandipora district.
Crediting the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hard work of party workers for his success, Hussain said the DDC election was a fight between the BJP and rest of the parties.
“This is a win for the BJP. The propaganda has been bust as people have shown their faith in the prime minister and his policies. This is a message that nationalists are prospering in Kashmir,” he told reporters outside the counting centre at SKICC here.