BJP dominates Jammu, gains in Kashmir; suffers reverses in Ladakh

BJP workers celebrate party’s victory in Jammu on Saturday. —Excelsior/Rakesh
BJP workers celebrate party’s victory in Jammu on Saturday. —Excelsior/Rakesh

Cong fails to exploit anti-incumbency, gets just 3 ULBs in Jammu,
BJP win 13; NPP blanked

PC nominates Junaid as Mayoral candidate for SMC
Independents rule the roost in many Committees

Sanjeev Pargal/Fayaz Bukhari
JAMMU/SRINAGAR, Oct 20: In a virtual replica of 2014 Assembly elections performance, the BJP today emerged a major political force in the State winning 212 Wards in Jammu and 100 in Kashmir and claiming majority in 13 Urban Local Bodies in Jammu including prestigious Jammu Municipal Corporation, emerging as single largest party in eight other Committees and winning 11 Municipalities in Kashmir.


Unable to exploit three and half years of anti-incumbency against the BJP which ruled Jammu and Kashmir in alliance with the PDP, the Congress was relegated to distant second place winning just 110 Wards in Jammu region way behind 185 claimed by the Independents while in Kashmir the Congress bagged 157 Wards as against 178 seats captured by the Independents.
In a significant political development, the People’s Conference of Sajjad Lone declared rebel National Conference candidate Junaid Mattu as its Mayoral candidates for Srinagar Municipal Corporation. Mattu was declared elected from two Wards of Srinagar-Rawalpora and Solina.
Congress swept Anantnag Municipal Committee, the Assembly constituency of which is represented by PDP president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. Congress won 20 seats, BJP three and Independents two.
In Ladakh region, however, it was Congress surge. The party won all 13 seats of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh and five out of 13 in LAHDC Kargil. Eight seats in Kargil went to Independents, mainly the proxies of National Conference, which had boycotted the election along with PDP, CPM and BSP.


The BJP almost repeated its impressive performance of 2014 Assembly elections by winning absolute majority in 13 Urban Local Bodies including prestigious Jammu Municipal Corporation and emerging single largest party in eight others out of total 37 ULBs of Jammu region relegating Congress to just three Committees and National Panthers Party to dot, which lost even its strongholds of Ramnagar, Chenani, Udhampur and Samba notwithstanding its election claims that it will make strong inroads in Jammu.
It was once again a saffron surge which blew away the BJP’s arch rival, the Congress, in Jammu region as the party swept Jammu, Samba, Kathua and Reasi districts, where it would form majority of Municipal bodies either on its own or with the support of couple of Independents and made impressive gains in Rajouri and Ramban districts while Independent candidates, mostly the proxies of National Conference, held sway in Doda and Kishtwar districts. The PDP proxies were ahead in Poonch, which threw a hung Council.
The Congress miserably failed to cash anti-incumbency factor of more than three years against the BJP, when it ruled Jammu and Kashmir in alliance with the PDP, in most parts of Jammu region especially in the absence of National Conference and PDP as it failed to even come close to the BJP in the number of winning Urban Local Bodies, the elections for which were held after more than 13 years in four phases on October 8, 10, 13 and 16 and counting was taken up today.
Political observers told the Excelsior that the Congress could have cashed-in on the absence of National Conference and PDP from the poll arena but the results clearly showed that it couldn’t revive itself in its core constituency of Jammu region despite being in the Opposition for more than three and a half years.
In JMC, where the BJP registered impressive victory, all four Assembly seats of Jammu East, Jammu West, Gandhi Nagar and Domana are represented by the BJP but the Congress couldn’t latch on to the anti-incumbency factor and instead gave safe passage to the BJP to gain majority in the Corporation, the observers said.
Out of total of 520 Wards in 37 Urban Local Bodies of Jammu region, BJP recorded victory in 212 Wards while Congress finished with just 110 Wards, way behind 185 Wards won by Independents. NPP was relegated to just 13 seats. Election on one seat (Ward No. 2 of Ramban MC) had been countermanded due to death of BJP candidate Azad Singh Raju on the day of polling.
Describing as “very significant” the victory of 185 Independents in Jammu region, sources said they got lion’s share in Doda, Kishtwar, Bhaderwah, Kargil, Rajouri, Poonch, Kalakote, Vijaypur and Surankote Municipal Committees and were widely believed to be the proxy candidates of National Conference and PDP. In number of Local Bodies like Doda, Kishtwar, Poonch, Kalakote, Vijaypur and Surankote, Independents outclassed both Congress and BJP and will play crucial role in formation of the Committees.
Only solace for the Congress was its stunning victory in Leh Municipal Committee, where it delivered crippling blow to the BJP by winning all 13 seats. The BJP represents Ladakh Lok Sabha seat and also enjoyed two-third majority in Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh. Notwithstanding this, the BJP failed to open its account in Leh MC as Congress swept the election.
In Kargil, Independents ruled the roost and most of them were believed to be NC proxies. In 13-member Kargil MC, Independents won eight seats and Congress five.
Ladakh region has only two Urban Local Bodies including Leh and Kargil MCs. The BJP didn’t win even a single Ward in the entire region notwithstanding that its leader Thupstan Chhewang represents the Lok Sabha seat.
BJP won 43 seats while Congress mustered 14 and the Independents 18 in 75-Wards JMC, DC Jammu Ramesh Kumar, the District Election Officer announced this evening. Kumar said the counting process was peaceful.
The Congress was even behind the Independents.
In the last JMC, BJP had 28 and Congress 26 seats. However, seven Corporators of National Conference also used to back the Congress. The BJP had captured the post of Mayor thrice and Congress twice with the help of Independents. The JMC was constituted in March 2005 and had completed its term in 2010. Since then elections were not held to Municipalities in the State.
However, the BJP in command of the JMC now, it will have its Mayor as well as Deputy Mayor.
Among the Independents, there were couple of BJP rebels, who won as Independent candidates. BJP leader Subash Sharma defeated former Deputy Chief Minister and three times Mayor Kavinder Gupta’s brother, Deepak Gupta in Ward No. 36 of Janipura with impressive margin of over 1000 votes. Sharma contested the election as BJP rebel after being denied the well-deserving mandate. In Ward No. 34 of Janipura, another BJP rebel Rani Devi won sending official BJP candidate to third place.
BJP’s Mayoral face, Prabhat Singh lost to Congress candidate Rajinder Singh Jamwal at Tope Sherkhanian (Ward No. 39).
Number of prominent Congress leaders including some former Corporators were humbled in the elections. At the same time, a couple of Congress rebels also managed to win the election as Independents.
Highest and lowest victory margins in the JMC were recorded by the BJP candidates. While BJP candidate Pawan Singh won by 2911 votes in Ward No. 23, party nominee Ajay Gupta recorded victory by just three votes in Ward No. 52.
Apart from JMC, BJP also mustered majority in six out of seven other Municipal bodies in Jammu district.
In Akhnoor and Khour MCs, which are represented by BJP MLAs Rajiv Sharma and Dr Krishan Bhagat respectively but are also stronghold of Congress leaders, Madan Lal Sharma, Sham Sharma and Tara Chand, all former Ministers, BJP won absolute majority. In Akhnoor, BJP got 11 out of 13 seats leaving just two for Congress while in Khour, BJP won nine out of 13 seats as Congress could get only four.
BJP also won majority in RS Pura, Arnia and Ghomanhasan MCs of Jammu district. In Arnia, BJP won seven out of 13 seats while Congress could get only one. Independents won 5. BJP captured nine out of 13 seats of RS Pura while Congress got one and Independents 3. BJP bagged five out of seven seats in Ghomanhasan. Rest two went to Congress.
The BJP fell short of majority in Bishnah MC by one seat. It won six seats while seven went to Independents. Congress drew a blank. However, Congress had the solace of capturing Jourian MC in Akhnoor tehsil winning four out of seven seats. BJP won two while one Independent emerged victorious.
The National Panthers Party fared badly in its strong citadel of Udhampur district.
In 13-member Ramnagar MC, the stronghold of former Minister and NPP veteran Harshdev Singh, now represented by BJP MLA RS Pathania, BJP got absolute majority winning seven seats. NPP won 5 and Congress drew blank. Chenani, another strong bastion of NPP, which was won by NPP supremo Bhim Singh in 1983 and Faquir Nath in 2002, BJP won three out of seven seats. Congress got one while Independents emerged victorious on 3 seats. NPP couldn’t win even a single seat at Chenani.
Almost similar was the NPP story in Udhampur, which was represented twice by party leader Balwant Singh Mankotia in 2002 and 2008. In 21-member Udhampur Council, NPP got just six seats and BJP four while Congress bagged two. Independents won in nine Wards.
Among the winners was sitting Independent MLA, Pawan Gupta’s brother, Dr Yogeshwar Gupta from Ward No. 12. He polled 629 votes as against 187 of BJP’s Rakesh Kumar. Independents now hold the key in formation of the Council in Udhampur.
The BJP also did exceptionally well in two Municipal Committees of Reasi district. It secured majority in Katra MC winning 7 out of 13 seats while Congress got two and Independents 4. Former Katra Municipal Committee Chairman, Ambrish Magotra `Ashu’ and his wife won as Independents.
In Reasi MC, however, BJP was short of majority by just one seat. It won six seats and Independents got 5. Congress won only 2 in the House of 13.
Out of six Municipal Bodies in Kathua district, BJP got majority in one and emerged as single largest party in five others, the results declared by DC Kathua Rohit Khajuria this afternoon, revealed.
In Hiranagar MC, BJP got seven out of 13 seats. Three seats each went to Congress and Independents.
In 21-members Kathua Municipal Council, BJP got eight seats and Congress 5 while eight Independents emerged victorious. BJP would need the support of three Independents to form the Council.
Significantly, BJP leader, Choudhary Lal Singh’s brother, Rajinder Singh Bubby and Bubby’s wife Vandana Andotra won as Independent candidates in Kathua MC from Ward Nos. 2 and 18 respectively. They defeated the BJP candidates.
In Billawar MC, BJP won six seats and Congress five while Independents got 2. In Nagri Parole, BJP won five and Congress two seats. Independents won in six Wards. In Basohli MC, BJP emerged victorious in five and Congress four Wards. Four seats went to Independents. In 7-seat Lakhanpur, BJP took three and Independents 4. Congress drew a blank.
In four MCs of Samba district, BJP won Bari Brahmana, taking seven out of 13 seats while rest of the six seats went to Independents. Congress failed to open its account. In Ramgarh MC, BJP and Congress were tied at four seats each while five Independents won. Similarly in Vijaypur MC, BJP and Congress were tied at three seats each with seven Independents winning.
However, in Samba MC, BJP won four seats followed by two each by Congress and NPP. Nine seats went to Independents.
Kishtwar district had just one Municipal Committee, where Independent candidates ruled the roost. In 13-member Kishtwar MC, Independents won 10 seats followed by Congress two and BJP just one. Kishtwar Assembly segment is represented by BJP MLA and former Power Minister Sunil Sharma and the results are being seen as major drubbing for him.
Situation was not good for BJP-held Doda and Bhaderwah, which are represented by party MLAs-Shakti Parihar and Dileep Parihar respectively.
Out of 17 seats of Doda MC, 11 went to Independents while BJP and Congress had to satisfy with three seats each. In Bhaderwah, Congress got six, Independents four and BJP three seats in 13-member Committee. In 7-member Thathri MC of Doda district, Independents and Congress shared three seats each while BJP got one.
According to political observers, majority of Independent winners in Doda, Bhaderwah, Thathri and Kishtwar MCs were proxies of National Conference, who contested as Independent candidates due to boycott of elections by the party, and won.
Congress swept Banihal MC in Ramban district winning all seven seats including three unopposed. However, Batote MC went to BJP, where the party won four out of seven seats, leaving one for Congress and two for Independents. Ramban MC, however, threw a unique verdict with BJP, Congress and Independents winning two seats each. Election on one seat had been countermanded due to death of the BJP candidate.
Of five Municipal Committees in Rajouri district, BJP won majority in two and Congress in one.
BJP won seven seats in 13-members Nowshera MC while Congress and Independents got three each. In Sunderbani, BJP won 10 out of 13 seats while rest three went to Independents and Congress couldn’t open its account. However, Congress won nine out of 13 seats in Thanna Mandi MC while four Independents emerged victorious.
Nowshera-Sunderbani Assembly seat is represented by BJP State president Ravinder Raina.
In keenly contested Rajouri MC election, Congress emerged single largest party with seven seats while BJP got six. Independents got four. In Kalakote MC, which has seven seats, six went to Independents and one to Congress with BJP drawing blank.
Significantly, Kalakote is represented by BJP MLA and former Minister Abdul Gani Kohli, where BJP failed to win even a single seat, bringing serious embarrassment for the party and Kohli.
In Poonch district, 17-member Poonch Council threw hung verdict with BJP winning four seats and Congress two. Eleven seats went to Independents. Among them were proxies of PDP.
In the evening, trouble erupted in Poonch when one Satish Kumar slapped rival supporter Jorge in Ward No. 16. The victim has lodged a complaint with police. They claimed that Satish Kumar slapped Jorge blaming him for not voting for an Independent candidate, who was proxy of the PDP.
In Surankote MC of Poonch district, out of 13 seats, 12 were won by Independents and one by the Congress. Surankote is represented by Congress MLA Choudhary Akram. Here also, the Independents were believed to be the proxies of NC and PDP.
Meanwhile,
Independent candidates won 178 seats in Urban Local Bodies elections, followed by Congress which won 157 and BJP which bagged 100 seats, 76 of them uncontested, in Kashmir.
The BJP swept polls in 11 Municipalities in Kashmir which are highly militancy infested including Sopore, Watergam in North Kashmir and Shopian, Mattan, Pulwama, Tral, Pampore, Qazigund and Pahalgam in South Kashmir.
In Srinagar, there are 74 wards and there was contest in 66 wards while eight went uncontested, with Congress and independents bagging four each. Among the 66 wards where election took place, 49 independent candidates won while 12 were won by Congress and four by the BJP.
The independent candidate and former spokesman of National Conference, Junaid Matoo was declared elected from two wards of Srinagar – Rawalpora and Solina.
The wife of Tariq Hamid Karra, senior Congress leader who is also face of Srinagar city for the national party, Asifa Tariq Karra, was defeated by an independent candidate Fancy Jan from Laveypora ward. Jan polled 519 votes while as Asifa got 501.
In the Municipal Committee Ganderbal, Congress and BJP won two seats each and 13 went to independents.
In the Municipal Committee Budgam, Congress won six seats, BJP won four and three are vacant as nobody contested from these wards.
In the Municipal Committee Charar-e-Sharief, Congress won 11 seats and two are vacant as nobody contested from these wards.
In the Municipal Committee Beerwa, one seat went to independents uncontested and 12 are vacant as no one contested on these seats.
In the Municipal Committee Magam, six went to independents, one to BJP and six are vacant as no one contested from these seats.
In the Municipal Committee Chadoora, six seats went to Congress, two to independents and five are vacant as no one contested on these seats.
In the Municipal Committee Khansahib, 7 seats went to independents uncontested.
In the Municipal Committee Bandipora, Congress won 12 seats, BJP won three and independents two.
In the Municipal Committee Sumbal, Congress won 5 seats, independents won eight and BJP failed to open its account.
In the Municipal Committee Hajan, Congress won 10 seats unopposed and three are vacant as no one contested on these seats.
In the Municipal Committee Kupwara, all the seats of 13 wards went to independents.
In the Municipal Committee Langate, BJP won one seat while independents bagged eight wards.
In the Municipal Committee Handwara, all the wards went to independents.
In Uri Municipal Committee, the independents won seven seats while Congress won six seats
In Baramulla Municipal Committee, Congress won 12 seats, BJP six and independents won three seats.
In Kunzar Municipal Committee, BJP won two seats, independents won three seats and two are vacant as no one contested from these wards.
In Municipal Council Sopore, BJP won 7 seats, independents won one seat and 13 are vacant as no one contested from these wards.
In Municipal Council Pattan, 11 seats went to independents and two seats are vacant as no one contested from these wards.
In Watergam Municipal Committee, BJP won 8, one went to independents and four are vacant as no one contested from these wards.
BJP has done well in Shopian where its candidates have won in 12 wards unopposed. Five wards in the district did not have any nominations.
BJP won two seats unopposed in Pulwama Municipal Committee and 11 wards did not have any nominations and are vacant.
The Khrew Municipal Committee had no nominations and all the 13 seats are vacant.
In Tral Municipal Committee BJP won three, all Kashmiri Pandits, unopposed, one went to independent who also won unopposed and nine had no nominations and are vacant.
The Pampore Municipal Committee four seats went to BJP, all Kashmiri Pandits, were elected unopposed, one went to independent who also won unopposed and had 12 had no nominations and are vacant.
In the Awantipora Municipal Committee one seat went to independent who won unopposed and 12 had no nominations and are vacant.
In the Kulgam Municipal Committee two seats went to BJP, three to independents and eight had no nominations and all of them are vacant.
In Yaripora Municipal Committee, Congress won three seats and three had no nominations and are vacant.
In Frisal Municipal Committee, all the 13 seats had no nominations and are vacant.
Congress swept the Anantnag Municipal Committee, the assembly constituency of which is represented by PDP president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. Congress won 20 seats, BJP won three and two went to independents.
In Bijbehara Municipal Committee, three seats went to BJP, all Kashmiri pandits who won unopposed, two to Congress and 12 had no nomination and are vacant. Bijbehara is home town of PDP president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.
In Acchabal Municipal Committee, two seat went to BJP, two to Congress and one to independents while 3 seats had no nominations and are vacant.
In Devsar Municipal Committee, the party won all the eight seats. The area is represented by Congress leader Mohammad Amin Bhat in the Legislative Assembly. However, Congress didn’t contest Devsar.
The BJP also got a simple majority in Qazigund Municipal Committee, winning four of the seven wards. The other three wards had no candidates.
In Pahalgam Municipal Committee, BJP won seven of the 13 seats uncontested while there were no candidates for the remaining six seats.
In Mattan Municipal Committee, eight seats went to BJP, one to Congress, two to independents, and two had no nominations and are vacant.
In Kokernag Municipal Committee, six seats went to Congress , two to independents, and five had no nominations and are vacant.
In Kashmir, which has 624 wards, at least 231 candidates were elected unopposed while no candidates contested in 185 wards and there was contest in 208 wards only.
The voter turnout in the polls was low, with 8.3 per cent votes cast in the first phase on October 8, 3.4 per cent in the second phase on October 10, 3.49 per cent in the third phase on October 13 and 4.2 per cent in the last phase on October 16. The overall percentage was 35.1 per cent.
During voting, there were no signs of any electioneering in the run up to the polls boycotted by National Conference and PDP.
The assembly constituency under which Municipal Committee Beerwa and Magam fall is represented by former Chief Minister and Vice president of National Conference Omar Abdullah.
Meanwhile, Junaid Mattu, the rebel National Conference leader who resigned from the party to participate in the urban local body polls in Kashmir, was today nominated as the Mayoral candidate of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) by Sajjad Lone-led People’s Conference (PC).
Mattu contested the municipal polls as an independent on four wards out of which he won in three.
“Congratulations to PC Mayoral Candidate @Junaid_Mattu and the victorious candidates from PC for heralding a new change in Srinagar and thanks to Irfan Ansari and all my senior colleagues for his successful campaign management during the ULB elections,” Lone, a former minister, wrote on Twitter.
He said his party was sure of getting the mayoral position in Srinagar.
“I had earlier mentioned that we don’t have a common symbol allotted to us. That is the reason our candidates r (are) shown as independents. We have taken six towns and are sure of getting the mayoral position in Srinagar,” Lone said.
In response to his nomination to the mayoral post, Mattu said, “I am humbled by my nomination by @JKPC_ as the Mayoral Candidate and join @sajadlone in congratulating all the victorious candidates.”
“We have emerged as the single largest group by a convincing margin and will be heading the movement for change in Srinagar in sha Allah (God willing),” Mattu tweeted.
Mattu had joined the National Conference (NC) in 2013 after ditching the People’s Conference.
He resigned from the NC after the party decided not to contest the civic polls.

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