Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Oct 1: Continuing its winning streak, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to have its control on Shopian, Pahalgam and Ashmuqam Municipal Committees which are going to polls this month.
The Party has already registered its victory in the Municipal Committees of Qazigund and Devsar in Anantnag and Kulgam districts of South Kashmir.
According to sources, Party will win 13 seats in Shopian Municipal Committee out of total 17 seats as there is no opposition candidate in fray. All the 13 candidates who filed forms in Shopian Municipal Committee are Kashmiri migrants while the Congress and other smaller parties did not field their candidates. It may be recalled that two mainstream Kashmir based major political parties National Conference (NC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP)have boycotted the elections.
Sources said the BJP is also slated to sweep 13 member each Pahalgam and Ashmuqam Municipal Committees unopposed as neither any opposition candidate nor any Independent is in the fray there which brightens its chances of sweeping the elections in these two Municipal Committees.
In Seer Municipal Committee in Anantnag district of South Kashmir, out of 13 seats no party fielded its candidate except BJP which is contesting three seats unopposed.
Sources said that after the scrutiny of the papers in Pahalgam, Ashmuqam and Seer Municipal Committees in South Kashmir district of Anantnag today, only eight candidates of BJP were left in the fray in Pahalgam MC while five BJP candidates and three Independents supported by the party are in fray in Ashmuqam MC and three BJP candidates have been left in fray for 13 member Seer MC as no forms came for the rest of the seats in these Municipal Committees.
In Mattan BJP candidate Rakesh Kaul former president of Kashmir Samiti Delhi (KSD) was declared elected unopposed today after the form of his opponent, a Congress candidate was rejected during scrutiny as the candidate had left some lacunas in the form.
Out of 13 seats in Mattan BJP has already won two seats unopposed. On one seat another migrant Subash from Jagti was declared elected unopposed while on another seat, a local BJP candidate has registered his victory unopposed.
BJP Prabahri for South Kashmir Veer Saraf said in Shopian MC the BJP’s all 13 candidates out of 17 who happens to be displaced Kashmiri Pandits are slated to register their victory unopposed as no opposition candidate is contesting against them.
He said BJP is only facing a straight contest in Anantnag Municipal Council from Congress where party has fielded candidates for all 25 seats while BJP is contesting on 21 seats there.
He said likewise BJP will be cornered in one to one contest in Dooru Municipal Committee in South Kashmir also where the Congress has fielded candidates for all 17 seats while BJP has fielded candidates for 13 seats. It may be recalled that Dooru is the Assembly segment of PCC chief Ghulam Ahmed Mir.
Exuding confidence that BJP will dominate these all MCs in Pahalgam Tehsil Sofi Yousf, its senior vice president and MLC, said party is in a position to have its own chairpersons in all these three Municipal Committees of Pahalgam.
Sofi Yousf, however, accused the National Conference (NC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) of intimidating the BJP candidates and threatening them to withdraw from poll fray by making the boycott call a success.
He said the house of one of the BJP candidate was also attacked in Pahalgam today by the urchins having backing of the poll boycott supporters. However, he said despite the all odds BJP will not leave the ground and work for strengthening the democracy at grass root level as resolved by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah.
Making a scathing attack on dynastic parties, he said they have taken the people of the State for a ride since 1947 and did not allow democracy to flourish in the State over these years which led to the present turmoil with people losing the faith and trust in democratic institutions.
Veer Saraf said the BJP has taken a bold stand by holding civic body and Panchayat elections in the State to strengthen the basic institutes of democracy and empower the common masses of J&K.
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