Revolt in Cong: two candidates contest against each other
BJP seconds name of Cong candidate for VC post
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 18: The National Conference today won crucial posts of chairpersons in the District Development Councils (DDCs) of Kishtwar and Ramban as the elections were marked by several political developments including revolt within Congress in Kishtwar where two candidates of the party contested against each other for the post of vice chairperson, the BJP member and district president Ramban seconding name of Congress candidate for the post of vice chairperson and Congress Members charging NC with “deceit” for ignoring them despite earlier tie-up and allying with the Independents to win chairpersonship.
National Conference member Pooja Thakur was elected chairperson of Kishtwar DDC securing eight votes while Congress nominee Saima Praveen Lone was elected as vice chairperson taking seven votes in the Woman Reserved district.
National Conference rebel Shareefa Begum, who had joined Altaf Bukhari-led Apni Party ahead of the elections, lost the post of chairperson by two votes. She got support of six members.
However, contest for the post of vice chairperson became interesting as Congress DDC Member Hans Raj filed nomination papers against her own party candidate Saima Praveen Lone as an Independent while another Independent Mohammad Zafarullah also joined the fray making the battle triangular.
Parveen Lone got seven votes, Hans Raj five and Zafarullah two.
Sources said three BJP members voted for Shareefa Begum for the post of chairperson and Hans Raj of Congress for vice chairperson. Though Apni Party and BJP lost the election for both the posts, they managed to break one member each from NC and Congress and an Independent, a result of which Shareefa Begum got six votes and lost the top post by just two votes as Pooja Thakur polled eight.
While Shareefa Begum had already announced her decision to part ways with National Conference and joined Apni Party, the Congress party was stunned when Hans Raj filed nomination papers for the post of vice chairperson with the support of BJP members.
In the House of 14, NC had six members, Congress and BJP three each and there were two Independents including one backed by the NC. Sources said five members of NC, two Congress and an Independent reportedly voted for Pooja Thakur while Shareefa Begum got three votes of BJP, one of her own and one each from Congress and Independent.
For the post of vice chairperson, Saima Parveen Lone reportedly got five votes of NC and two Congress while Hans Raj got three votes of BJP and one each of Apni Party and Independent. Zafarullah got one vote of his own and another of Independent.
In Ramban district, Dr Shamshad Shan of National Conference, DDC Member from Sangaldan was elected chairperson of DDC Ramban polling 11 votes, six of NC, three of ‘Azaad Itehaad’, a conglomerate of Independents, who had joined NC yesterday and two Congress.
She defeated BJP candidate from Ramban Renuka Katoch, who secured three votes of her party.
Ramban is also Woman Reserved district.
The post of vice chairperson was won by Independent Rabia Hamid in triangular fight. Rabia polled nine votes while BJP’s Balbir Singh got three and Congress nominee Imtiyaz Khandey secured two votes.
Sources said Dr Shamshad Shan got six votes of NC, three Independents and two Congress while Rabia got six votes of NC and three Independents. The BJP nominees for chairperson and vice chairpersons got their three votes.
However, two Congress DDC members in Ramban district voted for NC’s Shamshad Shan for the post of chairperson but they put up their own candidate Imtiyaz Khandey for vice chairperson, who got just two votes, one of his own and another of his party colleague Abdul Rashid Naik.
Significantly, Khandey’s name was proposed by Naik but the Congress didn’t have third member to second his name, which was mandatory to join the contest. BJP district president and DDC member Rakesh Thakur seconded the name of Khandey. However, the BJP members didn’t vote for Congress but their own candidate Balbir Singh.
Later, at a media interaction Congress members Imtiyaz Khandey and Abdul Rashid Naik charged the National Conference with “deceit” saying they voted for the NC candidate for chairperson by the NC didn’t keep up its promise of making Congress nominee as vice chairperson.
It may be mentioned here that NC and Congress had earlier entered into an alliance for the Ramban DDC. NC has six and Congress two members which had taken the parties to majority mark of eight in the House of 14. As per the agreement, NC had to contest the post of chairperson and Congress vice chairperson.
However, the NC yesterday shunned Congress and entered into alliance with ‘Azaad Itehaad’ which had three Independents. As per the new tie-up, the post of chairperson went to NC and that of vice chairperson to ‘Azaad Itehaad’.
Khandey did acknowledge the BJP support, albeit without naming the party, for seconding his name.
Election for the top posts of DDC Rajouri is scheduled to be held tomorrow.
With election complete in nine DDCs out of 10 in Jammu region, BJP has won six, NC two and Independent one.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
