Published 23:59 IST, December 22nd 2020
DDC poll result: Gupkar Alliance wins maximum seats, BJP emerges as single-largest party
DDC election was held in 8 phases between Nov 28-Dec 19, with a voter turnout of 51.42%. It was the big election held after revocation of J&K's special status
The People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration emerged as the single-largest coalition in the first-ever District Development Council polls in Jammu and Kashmir. On the other hand, BJP too made inroads in the Union Territory by becoming the single-largest party. While it was expected to perform well in the Jammu region, three of its candidates - Er. Aijaz Hussain, Aijaz Ahmed Khan, and Mina Lateef won in the Kashmir valley. While BJP won 74 seats, the Gupkar alliance won 112 seats. The Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) put up a dismal performance by bagging 12 seats. Here are the final numbers:
Terming the election trends as "encouraging", NC vice president Omar Abdullah called upon BJP to pay heed to the people's voice. He stressed that the alliance was emerging victorious despite facing obstacles such as illegal detentions, agency threats and pressures, and stopping candidates from campaigning. Thanking the people of the state for their support, Abdullah asserted that the PAGD will continue to fight for their rights.
Similarly, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti contended that the people's verdict was a rejection of the decision to abrogate Article 370. Meanwhile, BJP's DDC poll in-charge Anurag Thakur hailed the results as a "win for democracy". Speaking exclusively with Republic Media Network's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami on Tuesday, the MoS Finance asserted that the people wanted to move towards development.
Inaugural DDC polls
The DDC election was conducted in 8 phases between November 28 and December 19, with a voter turnout of 51.42%. It was the big election held after the revocation of J&K's special status. Requisite amendments in the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act 1989 and J&K Panchayati Raj Rules 1996 enabled the setting up of District Development Councils, the members of which shall be directly elected by voters in the Union Territory. The DDC which will have a term of 5 years replaces the District Planning and Development Boards which were headed by a Cabinet Minister of the erstwhile state of J&K.
The delimitation was done for the respective constituencies and 280 DDCs were identified across the Union Territory. The electoral rolls used in the Sarpanch and Panch elections that have been updated on January 1, 2020, were used for the DDC election. Moreover, nearly 25,000 central paramilitary personnel drawn from CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF, and SSB were sent by the Centre for providing security cover during the polls.
Updated 07:07 IST, December 23rd 2020