BJP accepted as pan-J&K party, says Dr Jitendra
NC emerges runners-up, Cong relegated to third place
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 22: Riding high on the wave of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah for abrogation of special status of Jammu and Kashmir leading to total integration of erstwhile State with India and very effective campaigning by several Union Ministers and national leaders, the BJP tonight won clear majority in six District Development Councils (DDCs) out of total 10 in Jammu and emerged as a major power in the region bagging 72 out of 140 DDC seats while the Congress was relegated to third spot with just 17 seats even behind 24 of National Conference and 20 by the Independents. Newly floated Jammu Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) which was contesting its first election captured three seats while Jammu and Kashmir Nationalist Panthers Party (JKNPP) suffered humiliating defeat by getting just two seats. The PDP and BSP could barely manage to open their account winning one seat each. Dogra Swabhiman Front of former Minister and two-time Lok Sabha member Choudhary Lal Singh drew a blank.
The BJP virtually swept the elections in Jammu, Udhampur, Kathua and Samba districts winning 11 to 13 out of 14 seats and eight in Doda and seven in Reasi districts, thus, securing clear majority in six districts. No other party was able to secure majority on its own in remaining four districts of Jammu region with Independents winning eight seats in Poonch district of Jammu region while National Conference got six seats each in Kishtwar and Ramban districts. Rajouri was the only district where counting progressed slowly and NC had won or was leading in four seats, BJP and Congress on three each, Independent on two and Apni Party and PDP on one seat each.
Out of total of 140 DDC seats in Jammu region (14 each in one district), the BJP had wins and leads in 72 seats, NC 24, Congress 18, Independents 19, Apni Party 3, Nationalist Panthers Party 2 and PDP and BSP one each.
However, the BJP suffered some major reverses too when its former Minister Shakti Raj Parihar lost the election on both Marmat and Gundana seats in Doda district while another former Minister Sham Choudhary was involved in neck-to-neck race with Independent Taranjit Singh Tony. As per the reports, Tony had slender lead of 11 votes in Suchetgarh seat when the reports last came in.
As per the Election Commission figures, BJP has so far won 70 seats, NC 57, Independents 44, PDP 26, Congress 22, JK Apni Party 10, People’s Conference 6, CPM 5, Jammu Kashmir People’s Movement 3, JKNPP 2, PDF and BSF one each in Jammu and Kashmir.
The BJP virtually repeated its 2014 Assembly election and 2014 and 2019 Parliamentary elections performance by dominating Jammu, Udhampur, Kathua and Samba districts which alone fetched the party 48 seats. Such was the worst show put up by the Congress that it failed to win even a single seat in these four districts though National Conference managed to get one each in Jammu and Samba districts.
In Jammu district, the BJP had wins and leads on 11 seats while its rebel candidate, who had tacit support of former BJP Minister Choudhary Sukhnandan, was ahead in Marh constituency. National Conference won Dansal seat. The Congress, which once dominated Jammu district, drew a blank and in many constituencies, its candidates trailed at third and fourth places. Former Cabinet Minister Mula Ram’s son Rajinder Kumar Happy and former MP Tarlok Singh Bajwa, both Congress and former Cong MP Madan Lal Sharma’s son Satish Sharma (Ind) even couldn’t make their presence felt on the seats they contested in Jammu district. In its stronghold of Nagrota, represented by Devender Singh Rana in 2014 Assembly, the NC could manage to win Dansal seat but lost Nagrota to the BJP.
In Udhampur district, BJP captured 11 seats relegating the Nationalist Panthers Party, which once represented all three Assembly constituencies of the district, to just two seats (Dudu-Basantgarh and Chenani) while an Independent won in Panchairi. NPP supremo and former Minister Harshdev Singh’s wife Manju Singh lost Khoon seat to former BJP MLA Ranbir Singh Pathania’s wife Juhi Manhas.
District Magistrate Udhampur Dr Piyush Singla said recounting of rejected votes was held in one seat and all 14 results have been declared.
In Kathua, the Lok Sabha constituency of Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, the BJP put up superb show winning 13 seats and leaving just one for the BSP. BSP’s Sandeep Majotra won Nagri seat. Choudhary Lal Singh’s wife Kanta Andotra, herself a former MLA, lost in Keerian Gandiyal to BJP’s Dr Shweta Singh. Another former MLA Charanjit Singh, who contested the election as an Independent candidate on being denied mandate by the BJP, lost to the BJP candidate in Kathua.
District Magistrate Kathua OP Bhagat said the counting concluded smoothly with no complaints lodged by any of the contesting candidates or their agents.
In Samba district also, the BJP won 13 seats while one constituency (Bari Barahamana-B) went to the National Conference, District Magistrate Rohit Khajuria, who declared the results, said, adding the counting has been completed peacefully.
In Reasi district, the BJP won seven seats while National Conference got three, Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party two and Congress and Independents one each. Notable winners in Reasi were BJP’s Sarf Singh, a former KAS officer who had taken voluntary retirement to join politics. He had lost Reasi Assembly seat in 2014 with few hundred votes. He won from Bhomag DDC seat. Former Minister Aijaz Khan won on the mandate of Apni Party while his brother Mumtaz Khan, who is also former MLA, lost the election. Two more former Ministers Jagjivan Lal (Reasi Main) and Abdul Gani Malik won the seats for National Conference.
Doda was the another district where BJP got clear majority in the DDC winning eight of 14 seats but its former Minister and MLA from Doda Shakti Parihar, who was tipped to be the Chairman of the first-ever DDC, lost election in both seats of Marmat and Gundana he contested. He lost Gundana to national Conference and Marmat to Congress. Former Minister late Mohammad Sharief Niaz’s son Nadeem Sharief Niaz had established comfortable lead in Changa seat where Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad’s another nephew Mehboob Mustafa was also in the fray an independent.
Poonch was the only district where Independents won majority of eight seats. Congress got four and National Conference two while the BJP drew a blank. Former MLA Javed Rana’s son Jeeshan Rana (NC), former MLC Dr Shehnaz Ganaie (Independent), former MLA Shah Mohammad Tantray (Independent), Nadeem Khan son of former MLA Rafiq Khan (PDP) and Choudhary Akram, former MLA (Congress) were notable losers in Poonch district. Shahnawaz Choudhary, Congress rebel had established handsome lead in Surankote while former MLA Aijaz Jan’s mother Ateeqa Begum Jan of National Conference emerged victorious.
In neighbouring Rajouri district again, no party could reach close to the majority mark with NC winning or leading in four seats, BJP and Congress on three seats each, PDP and Apni Party on one seat each and Independents on two seats.
BJP was ahead in Sunderbani, Seri and Darhal, NC in Budhal Old-B, Doongi, Kalakote and Dhangri and Congress in Rajouri, Thanna Mandi and Manjakote.
Apni Party leader and former Minister Choudhary Zulfikar’s wife Zubaida Begum Choudhary lost the election to the wife of BDC Chairman Javed Choudhary. However, Javed Choudhary himself was trailing in another seat. Son of Mirza Abdul Rashid, former MP and NC leader was training in Darhal to the BJP. In Nowshera seat, the PDP was ahead. Nowshera Assembly seat was represented by BJP president Ravinder Raina in 2014. Significantly, Nowshera is the only seat where the PDP is leading and is set to win the lone seat in entire Jammu region. In Kalakote seat, which was represented by BJP leader and former Cabinet Minister Abdul Gani Kohli, the BJP was trailing.
It was again the National Conference which emerged single largest party in Kishtwar district winning six seats but fell short of majority. BJP and Congress bagged three seats each while two others went to Independents.
In Ramban district also, the National Conference emerged victorious in six seats while BJP got just three and Congress two. Three seats went to the Independents.
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh today said the initial results of the District Development Council (DDC) polls in Jammu and Kashmir show that the BJP is “acceptable” to the people of both the regions of the union territory.
“Four BJP candidates have won from Srinagar. It is a testimony to the fact that people of Jammu and Kashmir believe in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for the development of the union territory,” Singh said.
He said the BJP has emerged as a pan-Jammu and Kashmir party after the DDC election results and it is “acceptable” to people of the union territory.
The Minister said the youth of Jammu and Kashmir have decided not to be misguided by certain vested interest who force them to the path of extremism and terrorism, and instead they want to be part of the development journey started by the Modi government for the people of the union territory.
“The huge turnout of voters in this DDC election show that the belief of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in grassroots democracy, which is being established by the central government,” said Dr Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel.
He said the initial election results have proved that the People’s Alliance on Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) cannot take on the BJP individually and that is why they have forged an alliance to defeat it.
“The biased agenda of the Gupkar alliance is known to all and people will give a befitting reply to its anti-national stand on various issues,” the Union Minister said.
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Wives of 3 ex-Ministers, sons of 3 others lose
Wives of three former Ministers including Kanta Andotra, Manju Singh and Zubaid Begum lost the elections.
Andotra is the wife of Choudhary Lal Singh, former Minister and two time MP who lost the election to the BJP in Keeriyan Gandyal in Kathua.
Manju Singh is the wife of JKNPP Supremo and former Minister Harshdev Singh, who was defeated by the BJP candidate in Khoon seat of Udhampur.
Zubaid Begum of Apni Party is the wife of Zulfikar Choudhary, former Minister, who was defeated by her close relative and independent candidate in Budhal old A seat of Rajouri district.
Sons of three formers Ministers and MPs also lost the election. They include Rajinder Kumar Happy son of former cabinet Minister and Congress leader Mula Ram (Marh), Satish Sharma son of former Minister and MP Madan Lal Sharma (Bhalwal Barahamana) and Parvez Rashid Mirza son of NC leader and former MP Mirza Abdul Rashid (Darhal).
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Small margin wins recorded
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU/SRINAGAR, Dec 22: An Independent candidate won by just three votes against his National Conference rival, as many winners of the just concluded District Development Council (DDC) elections in Jammu and Kashmir succeeded by small margins due to the low voter turnout recorded by various constituencies in the Union Territory.
Avtar Singh polled 246 votes against 243 by his NC rival Ali Mohammad Bhat, the winner from Dadsara constituency in Pulwama district of South Kashmir, according to the results declared by the JK Election Commission.
From the same district, BJP’s Minha Latief won by 14 votes against her PDP rival Ruqaya Bano. Lateef polled 364 votes, while Bano got 350 votes.
Independent candidate Bilqees Jan defeated her nearest rival Gull Iqbal (Independent) by 11 votes from Zainapora constituency in Shopian district. Jan polled 146 votes and Iqbal 135.
Khalida Bibi (PDP) won by seven votes, defeating her nearest rival Sajida Begum (Independent) from Larnoo constituency in Anantnag district. Bibi polled 4,580 votes against Begum’s 4,573.
Bial Ahmad Deva (Independent) emerged victorious from Vessu constituency, defeating his nearest rival Mudassir Rashid Mir of Peoples Movement by 35 votes after managing a total of 1,779 votes, while Nisar Ahmad Sheikh (Independent) also registered a win over NC’s Rayees Ul Hassan by 35 votes after getting a total of 1,945 votes.
The winning margin in Srinagar, from where the highest number of seven independent candidates won the DDC polls, was also very low. J&K Apni Party won three DDC seats from the district followed by one each National Conference, BJP and J&K people’s movement.
Independent candidate Mohammad Yaseen Rather got 156 votes and won by 21 votes from Qamarwari constituency, J&K Apni party candidate Shameema Bano polled 213 votes and won by 36 votes and Ali Mohammad Rather (independent) Harwan-II polled 314 votes and won by 96.
For the rest of the winning candidates, the margin was in triple figures as Mohammad Shaban Chopan (independent) won by the highest margin of 521 votes in the district. He polled 609 against his nearest rival Mohammad Altaf Lali (Independent) who got 88 votes only.
In Jammu region which recorded a high turnout during the eight-phase DDC elections, BJP’s Amit Sharma recorded a win by 47 votes from Majalta segment of Udhampur district against his nearest rival Rajesh Kumar of National Panthers Party. Sharma polled 4,215 votes and Kumar 4,168 votes.
Hans Raj of Congress defeated BJP’s Sanjay Parihar by 99 votes in Drabshalla-B constituency in Kishtwar district after securing 2,621 votes, while BJP’s Sharda Bhau won from the highest margin of 8,880 votes so far against Congress rival Anuradha Sharma from Akhnoor constituency of Jammu district. Bhau polled 14,619 votes against 5,739 by Sharma.
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