BJP-backed JKAP, JKPC secure highest number of migrant votes

Counting of Kashmiri migrant votes being held at Udhampur on Tuesday. -Excelsior/ K Kumar
Counting of Kashmiri migrant votes being held at Udhampur on Tuesday. -Excelsior/ K Kumar

Avtar Bhat

JAMMU, June 4: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supported Apni Party and Jammu Kashmir Peoples Conference (JKPC) secured highest number of migrant votes in all three Parliamentary constituencies of Kashmir valley followed by National Conference.
As per the data issued by Election Commission of India (ECI) after the announcement of results of 18th Lok Sabha elections today, highest number of migrant votes were secured by BJP supported Apni Party candidates in Anantnag- Rajouri Parliamentary constituency and Srinagar Parliamentary seat and party supported JK People’s Conference (PC) candidate in Baramulla Lok Sabha segment.

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The data released by ECI this evening showed that for Anantnag –Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency, Apni Party candidate, Zafar Iqbal Manhas secured 6631 migrant votes out of 9924 followed by National Conference’s (NC) Mian Altaf Ahmed Larvi who got 913 migrant votes.
The PDP candidate and former Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti got 441 votes while Independent candidate Dilip Kumar Pandit polled 848 votes.
The vote share of other parties included NLP 23, AIFB 22, NAUP 144, JKNPP 118, DPAP 327 and GDP 8.
In Srinagar constituency, Apni Party’s Mohammed Ashraf Mir got highest number of 4833 migrant votes followed by NC’s Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi by 627. The PDP candidate Waheed-ul-Rehman Parra got 108 votes.
In this constituency, the National Lok Tantrik Party (NLTP) got 43 votes, JKNPP secured 86 migrant votes, DPAP got 162 votes while Bharat Jodo Party (BJP) got nine migrant votes.
In Baramulla- Kupwara constituency of South Kashmir, BJP supported JK People’s Conference (JKPC) candidate, Sajjad Gani Lone got 4943 migrant votes followed by National Conference’s (NC) candidate and former CM, Omar Abdullah who got 635 votes. The PDP’s candidate and former MP, Mir Mohammed Fayaz got 34 migrant votes.
The break up for other parties included Rashtriya Janshakti Party (RJP) 21 votes, National Youth Party (NYP) 11 votes, National Lok Tantrik Party (NLTP) 14 votes, National People’s Front (NPF) 18 votes while the lone Kashmir Pandit candidate, Arun Kumar Raina got 142 votes in this constituency.
It may be recalled that BJP had not fielded any candidate from Kashmir valley and had supported Apni Party candidates in Anantnag-Rajouri constituency of South Kashmir and Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency in Central Kashmir. In Baramulla –Kupwara Parliamentary constituency of North Kashmir, the party had supported Sajjad Gani Lone of Jammu Kashmir People’s Conference. But all the BJP supported candidates lost the elections.
The Election Commission had established special polling booths for Kashmiri migrants in Jammu, Udhampur and NCR Delhi for casting their vote after abolition of M Forms this time.
The counting of migrant votes was also held at Jammu, Udhampur and Delhi today.