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Gupkar alliance wins big in Jammu and Kashmir DDC elections

NEW DELHI: People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) an alliance between six regional political parties of Jammu and Kashmir headed by Farooq Abdullah of the J&K National Conference claimed big victory in the District Development Council (DDC) polls held in Jammu and Kashmir.

PAGD won 110 seats, while the main contender the Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the single-largest party, winning 75 seats in the first DDC elections which were held from 28 November 2020 in eight phases across the two-hundred and eighty DDC constituencies. BJP is also hailing its achievement of having opened its account in the valley by winning three seats.

Among the PAGD the National Conference won the highest in the alliance with 67 seats, followed by Mehbooba Mufti's Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which won 27 seats. While Indian National Congress performed below average winning only 26 seats, interestingly the Independent candidates bagged 50 seats.

Out of the 280 DDC seats, the results of 278 seats have been declared, as the counting of votes in two constituencies has been kept in abeyance as two of the candidates in them are from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Jammu and Kashmir State Election Commissioner KK Sharma said that, the counting of votes was deferred in Drugmulla constituency (Kupwara district) and Hajin-A (Bandipora) in view of a question that has arisen on eligibility of one each contesting candidates from the two seats.

As the final seat tallies began to clear Amit Shah twitted to thank the people of J&K for voting BJP as the single largest party in the DDC elections. He quoted in his tweet, "I heartily thank our sisters and brothers of J&K for voting BJP as the single largest party in the District Development Council elections." 

Speaking to reporters on the results, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said that the elections has proved that no matter what you do against his party, you can't put an end to its existence. "With this defeat, I don't think BJP govt will conduct Assembly elections here anytime soon. They would have announced the polls by now had they believed in democracy. So, we have time to strengthen our party," Omar Abdullah said.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti invoked issue of the Abrogation of Article 370 in J&K which was one of its major poll planks. She said, "The DDC results have made it clear that people of J&K voted en masse for PAGD, thus rejecting the unconstitutional decision to abrogate Article 370. They have overwhelmingly supported PAGD which stands for the restoration of J&Ks special status."

DDC, is a form of elected local government of the J&K union territory, and is facilitated by the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989 and is primarily aimed at to elect the members from the rural and urban areas for the District Planning Committee and the council itself with fourteen members from each district.

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