Independents to decide who will become DDC chairman in Srinagar

PAGD wins 13, BJP 6 districts; parties wooing others
Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Srinagar Dec 23: Uncertainty continuous over who will be the District Development Council chairman of the Srinagar district, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir.
In the first ever District Development Council polls in Jammu and Kashmir, the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) which has been formed by seven political parties including National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party, emerged as the single largest grouping followed by the BJP.
The Gupkar Alliance won 110 seats followed by BJP 75 Congress 26 and rest by Independents and other smaller parties. The BJP won just three seats in Kashmir.
With the support of Congress, the constituents of the Gupkar Alliance will have their chairmen in 13 districts. The Congress was initially a part of Gupkar Alliance but distanced itself when the BJP targeted the opposition party for being in league with the “Gupkar Gang”.
While out of 10, BJP won six districts of Jammu region where it will have its own chairmen.
But in Srinagar, there is uncertainty where the independents won maximum seats and will be interesting whom will they support or they choose DDC chairman among themselves.
“All parties are making efforts to woo Independents and make their chairman in Srinagar district,” one of the independents told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS). “There are some candidates who have been supported by political parties. Everything will be clear in next few days who will be DDC chairman in Srinagar,” he added.
The Srinagar district which was considered a bastion of the National Conference, the Gupkar Alliance candidates won only three seats out of 14 seats. The Independents won seven seats, while Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party led by Altaf Bukhari emerged winner on three seats and BJP on one seat.
Similarly in Jammu region, the PAGD and Congress has got maximum seats and will form DDC in Ramban, Kishtwar, Rajouri and Poonch.
In Jammu region, where the BJP has won maximum seats and will make its chairmen are Reasi, Samba, Kuthua, Jammu, Doda and Udhampur.
If results of these polls are analysed, it seems the BJP has been losing ground even in Jammu. In the last two parliamentary elections, it won all the three Parliamentary constituencies of Jammu region.
A BJP leader from Jammu said there is anger among people in Jammu against non-restoration of 4G and introducing of new domicile law.
Soon after the lockdown to fight COVID-19 was declared on March 25, the Centre announced the new domicile law in the UT. There is fear among people in J&K they may lose jobs and land due to this law.
Around 2200 candidates were into the electoral fray for 280 seats, 140 each in Kashmir and Jammu.
The polling was held over eight phases beginning November 28 and ending on December 19 as 51 per cent of the 57 lakh eligible voters exercised their franchise in the elections, which remained peaceful.
The District Development Council (DDC) election assumed significance as it was the first electoral exercise after the erstwhile state was bifurcated into two union territories with the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019.
Unlike in the previous elections, people voted in large numbers. While BJP says that normalcy is returning to Kashmir so people voted in large numbers but parties part of Gupkar Alliance claim that people’s larger participation was to defeat the BJP candidates because there is “anger among people against abrogation of Article 370”. (KINS)