Independents win big in Jammu and Kashmir local polls

SRINAGAR: It is mainly the independent candidates who have carried the day as the counting of votes in the Jammu and Kashmir civic polls was completed on Saturday. The elections were held in four phases under tight security earlier this month with separatists boycott call finding many takers in the Kashmir Valley alone. 

These elections covered 79 municipal bodies with an electorate of about 1.7 million.  Two major political parties National Conference and Peoples’ Democratic Party along with the CPM and the BSP stayed away from the exercise.

Among the other parties in fray, the BJP has emerged as the largest party in the Jammu division and the Congress has done marginally better in the Kashmir Valley. 

As per the results declared by the Chief Electoral Office here, the BJP has won in 100 wards, the Congress in 157, independents in 178 and others in four wards of the Valley. 

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the largest party in Jammu, while the Congress did marginally better in Kashmir Valley as counting of votes in Jammu and Kashmir’s civic polls was completed on Saturday. But surprisingly, it was mainly the Independent candidates who carried the day.

As per the results declared by the Chief Electoral Office, the BJP won in 100 wards, the Congress in 157, but Independents emerged as the single largest group by winning 178 and 110 wards in Kashmir and Jammu divisions of the state, respectively. 

The boycott call given by several political parties and separatists, coupled with threats by militants, helped both the BJP and the Congress in a major way as 76 and 78 candidates from the respective national parties were elected unopposed. 

A total of 75 Independents won the elections uncontested in the Kashmiri Valley where the boycott call was a success. In Srinagar, in fact, a woman candidate was declared a winner after she beat her closest rival by one vote. In all, three votes had been cast in the ward. The National Conference, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) along with the CPM and the BSP had boycotted the elections. 

In the Jammu region, which includes the districts of Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Reasi, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Udhampur, Poonch and Rajouri, the BJP candidates won 212 wards, the Congress 110, National Panthers Party 13 and Independents 185. In Leh, the Congress swept the polls winning all the 13 seats, while in Kargil, the Congress won six.