Srinagar: The People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), a conglomerate of parties advocating a reinstatement of Article 370, has emerged as the largest political entity in the maiden District Development Council elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
The first-ever DDC elections were held in 280 seats — 14 in each of the 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir (10 each in both regions) — and the results for 236 seats have been declared as of 10:30 pm Tuesday.
So far, PAGD constituents, and the Congress which is supporting it in these polls, have together won 115 seats, compared to the BJP’s 66. The ruling party at the Centre, however, has emerged as the single-largest party.
Of the PAGD constituents, Farooq Abdullah’s National Conference has so far won 55 seats, while Mehbooba Mufti’s Peoples Democratic Party has won 26, Sajjad Lone’s People’s Conference six and the CPI(M) five. The Congress has emerged victorious in 20 seats.
All the parties in the PAGD favour restoring the pre-5 August 2019 status of J&K, including Article 370 and statehood. The Congress, which had signed the Gupkar Declaration before the Modi government scrapped Article 370 last year, had distanced itself from the new alliance’s ideology, but stated it had aligned with it only for the DDC polls.
The distancing came after strong statements by senior BJP leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, terming the Gupkar alliance as a “gang”.
The Apni Party, which was founded this year with the stated intent of “moving on” from Article 370, has won 10 seats, while Independents have won in 41 constituencies.
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Who did well in each region?
The BJP has managed to make inroads into the Kashmir Valley, winning at least three seats — one each in Srinagar, Pulwama and Gurez regions. But despite one of its star campaigners, former Union minister Shahnawaz Hussain, camping in the Valley for nearly a month, the PAGD has left it trailing in Kashmir.
The opposite is true in the Jammu region — the BJP has capitalised on its strength with 63 wins so far, while the PAGD could not even reach a consensus on seat-sharing.
Independent candidates have put up a strong showing in the Valley. They won seven seats in Srinagar — NC chief Farooq Abdullah’s Lok Sabha seat — while the Apni Party won three and the NC, PDP and BJP won one each. The BJP candidate who won from Srinagar is Aijaz Hussain Rather, national vice-president of its youth wing, as well as one of the people in-charge of the BJP in West Bengal.
In Pulwama, which came to prominence after the deadly suicide attack on CRPF personnel in February 2019, the PAGD emerged as the winner with the PDP winning nine of the 14 seats. Its youth leader Waheed Para, who is currently lodged in Tihar jail on UAPA charges in connection with suspended J&K police DSP Davinder Singh, won his seat comfortably. The BJP won one seat in Pulwama, while four went to Independent candidates.
In Baramulla, Safeena Baig, wife of former deputy CM Muzaffar Baig, won as an independent from Wagoora, defeating the PAGD candidate representing the NC. Muzaffar Baig, a Padma Bhushan awardee this year, has been having problems with the PDP leadership, and resigned from it last month.
Another notable winner in Baramulla was former J&K cabinet minister and senior Congress leader Taj Mohideen, who was earlier this month booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation for allegedly encroaching on forest land. Mohideen defeated the PAGD candidate representing the People’s Conference — one of the few instances where his party fought the PAGD.
‘Referendum against Modi govt’s Article 370 move’
NC leader and Anantnag MP Justice (retd) Hasnain Masoodi termed the results as a “referendum” against the Modi government’s Article 370 move.
“It is a referendum because BJP made it into one by saying that Article 370 has been buried. The people of both Jammu and Kashmir today said that Article 370 is alive. People of J&K clearly rejected the BJP’s 5 August 2019 decision to abrogate Article 370,” said Masoodi.
However, the J&K BJP’s media in-charge Manzoor Bhat said: “It is a shame that so many political parties had to come together to defeat the BJP. (But) we managed to win three seats in Kashmir, and I believe our party has made an important mark in the Valley.”
Also read: Why DDC election in Kashmir is the report card BJP is waiting for
Results show where the loyalty of most Kashmiri Muslims lie. Voted for separatism.
Why are there NO comments from India’s opposition parties, including the Abdullahs, Rahul & Tejashwi about “Manipulated EVMs” today ?????
SUDDENLY, EVMs are Perfect ????? Hypocrisy.