Jammu: Counting of votes for the recently concluded District Development Council elections in progress at a centre, in Jammu, Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020. (PTI)Jammu and Kashmir DDC Election Results 2020 Live Updates: The leads in the District Development Council (DDC) polls show that the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) is set to win the majority of the seats in Kashmir valley as the Centre backed Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party has failed to make a mark. Of the leads so far, the PAGD alliance is leading in 71 seats and has won 25 so far whereas the BJP is leading in 48 and has won eight seats till now. The Congress is leading in 19 seats and had bagged four seats so far.
Meanwhile, in accordance with expectations, the BJP is leading in the Jammu division. The party has also won two seats in Kashmir valley– one in Srinagar and one in Tulail seat in Bandipora district.
In South Kashmir, the Alliance candidates are set to sweep the polls as they are leading on 34 (NC 15, PDP 14, and CPIM 5) out of the 49 seats declared so far. While the independents are leading on 10 seats, Congress is ahead on 5 seats. The North Kashmir has thrown a mixed result with Alliance candidates ahead on 13 out of 34 leads declared so far. The Alliance is followed by independent candidates leading on 11 seats.
Seven political parties, including the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party, contested the polls in an alliance, under the banner of the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) formed for restoration of Article 370. The Congress was initially a part of the PAGD but distanced itself when the BJP targeted the opposition party for being in league with the ‘Gupkar Gang’. The elections will decide the fate of nearly 2,181 candidates for the 280 DDC seats in Jammu and Kashmir. The elections, held in eight phases, began on November 28 and ended on December 19.
Residents stand in a queue to cast their vote during the 7th phase of the DDC polls at Mendhar in Poonch district on December 16. (PTI)
According to news agency PTI, the PAGD is currently leading in 71 seats and has won 25 so far whereas the BJP is leading in 48 and has won eight seats till now. The Congress is leading in 19 seats and had bagged four seats so far. The PAGD is an alliance of seven political parties of Jammu and Kashmir, including the NC and the People's Democratic Party.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday termed the results and emerging trends of the District Development Council polls as an eye-opener for the BJP and its "proxy political party", and said people have rejected the decision of revoking the erstwhile state's special status.
Abdullah, who is the vice president of the National Conference (NC), told PTI that the results and trends are an "important milestone" for the People's Alliance on Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) as they endorse the "out view" that revoking the special status of the erstwhile state of J-K and downgrading it into a Union Territory was not accepted by the people.
"Now if the BJP and its proxy political party believe in democracy, as they have stated, they should immediately reverse their decision and respect the verdict of the people of this region," he said.
The People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), an amalgam of seven political parties, was ahead in 73 seats and the BJP in over 53 as votes for elections to District Development Councils in Jammu and Kashmir were counted on Tuesday.
People's Conference Parmeet Kour wins Rafiabad seat. “Parmeet Kour JKPC wins Rafiabad DDC seat. My profound congratulations to Miss Parmeet Kour and to the secular traditions of our region,” JKPC chairman Sajad Lone tweets.
The counting for the DDC polls has been completed in Srinagar with the independent candidates winning half of the seats.
"The returning officers in Srinagar district have declared the results of District Development Council elections in all the 14 constituencies and handed over election certificates to winning candidates," District Election Officer (Deputy Commissioner) Srinagar, Shahid Choudhary was quoted saying by PTI.
He said as per the final results, independent candidates have been declared winners in seven constituencies: Srinagar-I, Qamarwari-I, Qamarwari-II, Harwan-I, Harwan-II, Harwan-IV and Harwan-VI.
Former finance minister Altaf Bukhari-led Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) candidates were declared winners in three constituencies: Harwan-V, Khanmoh-I and Srinagar-III.
Four political parties-- BJP in Khanmoh-II, PDP in Khanmoh-III, NC in Harwan-III and JKPM in Srinagar II have won one seat each.
The BJP on Tuesday won an election for the first time from any seat in Kashmir while facing regional heavyweights like the National Conference and the PDP.
Aijaz Hussain won the Khonmoh-II District Development Council seat in Srinagar, while Aijaz Ahmad Khan gave the party more reason to cheer by winning the Tulail seat in Bandipora district.
"This is a win for the BJP. The propaganda has been bust as people have shown their faith in the prime minister and his policies. This is a message that nationalists are prospering in Kashmir," Hussain told reporters outside the counting centre at SKICC in Srinagar. (PTI)
"This was expected. People have shown their support. I'll be working for the development in the area," Parvaiz was quoted saying by ANI.
BJP's Aijaz Hussain celebrates victory in DDC polls.
PDP youth president Waheed Para, who is in custody of the National Investigation Agency for alleged links with militants, on Tuesday won the District Development Council (DDC) elections from Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir. Para defeated BJP candidate Sajad Ahmad Raina.
Jammu Deputy Commissioner Sushma Chauhan Tuesday said that no victory processions will be allowed by political parties and independent candidates without permission. “Restrictive and prohibitory measures have been put in place,” she said.
“BJP has opened its account in Kashmir valley, with the victory of Azaz Hussain. We are leading on several other seats in the Valley. It shows people of Kashmir valley want development,” BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain was quoted as saying by ANI on DDC poll results.
The BJP has so far won two seats in the valley. The party has won one seat in Srinagar and one in Tulail Bandipore.
As per trends, the newly floated Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP)is leading at one seat in Samba and three in Reasi district.
Meanwhile, the Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan, which was floated by former minister Choudhary Lal Singh who had quit the BJP, is also leading at one seat in Kathua district.
Of trends available in 108 constituencies by 2 pm, BJP was leading in 53 seats, National Conference 20 seats, Congress 13 seats, Jammu Kashmir Apni Party 4 seats, Jammu Kashmir National Panthers Party 2 seats, Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan on one seat and independents were leading on 14 seats.
The DDC polls hold significance since in the absence of elected representatives this is the first exercise to elect representatives to a governing body since the 2014 Assembly elections. The Ministry of Home Affairs on October 16 through an amendment to the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989, provided for the establishment of the DDCs.
This system effectively replaces the District Planning and Development Boards in all districts and will prepare and approve District plans and use of capital expenditure. The key feature, however, is that the DDCs will have elected representatives from each district. Their number has been specified at 14 elected members per district representing its rural areas alongside the Members of Legislative Assembly chairpersons of all Block Development Councils within the district.
The BJP has made gains in Bandipora's Gurez area with leads in two seats. PDP leader Waheed Para, under arrest for his alleged links with militants, was leading in his Pulwama constituency by a huge margin. (PTI)
The leads in the DDC polls show that the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) is set to win the majority of the seats in Kashmir valley as the Centre backed Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party has failed to make a mark.
Of the 113 leads so far, the People's Alliance is ahead on 67 seats (National Conference 28 and People's Democratic Party 25) in valley followed by the independent candidates leading on 28 seats. In South Kashmir, the Alliance candidates are set to sweep the polls as they are leading on 34 (NC 15, PDP 14 and CPIM 5) out of the 49 seats declared so far. While the independents are leading on 10 seats, Congress is ahead on 5 seats.
The Alliance candidates are again leading in the three districts of central Kashmir - Srinagar, Budgam and Gabderbal. The official figures reveal that the alliance candidates are ahead on 20 (NC 11 and PDP 7) out of the 30 leads declared so far. While the independents are ahead on 7 seats, Altaf Bukhari led JKAP is leading on two seats.
The North Kashmir has thrown a mixed result with Alliance candidates ahead on 13 out of 34 leads declared so far. The Alliance is followed by independent candidates leading on 11 seats. The BJP is also leading on two seats in North Kashmir.
The Bukhari-led Apni Party, which was formed by the rebel political leaders of different mainstream political parties and is backed by the centre has failed to make any mark. The party is leading only on six seats in the valley so far.
Among the 2178 candidates in the fray, BJP has the highest, 183 candidates in the contest by any single party. The NC, PDP, PC, CPIM and JKPM combine together known as the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) fielded over 220 candidates across districts. Meanwhile, co-signatory to the Gupkar declaration, but not part of the Alliance, Congress, had 118 candidates in the fray.
BJP is followed by 134 from the newly formed J&K Apni Party and then the 132 from the National Conference, 67 in the Kashmir region. The Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP has 63 candidates, the majority of which (52) are in the valley. People’s Conference headed by Sajad Lone has 11 candidates in the fray, all within Kashmir. The CPIM also had seven candidates in the fray for this year’s DDC elections. Additionally, there are over 1000 independents contesting for a place in the DDCs.
Counting stopped in Draugmulla territorial constituency of Kupwara over the nationality of one of the candidates. Somia Sadaf, originally a resident of Muzaffarabad, who came to the valley with her militant husband under the rehabilitation policy, is contesting the elections from Drugmulla.
Out of the 76 leads in Kashmir valley, the People's Alliance is leading on 48 seats (NC 21, PDP 16, PC 5, CPIM 4, People's Movement 2) while independents are leading on 16 seats. BJP is leading on two seats, Congress in five and Apni Party on 3 seats