Massive 98.3 pc turnout in BDC elections, Srinagar records 100 pc
Reverses for BJP in Leh, good show in Kargil
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Oct 24: Independent candidates held sway in the Block Development Council (BDC) elections winning 217 posts of Chairpersons while the BJP and National Panthers Party (NPP), which were the only two major parties in the fray, captured 81 and eight Councils respectively, the elections for which were held for the first-time in the history of the State today and all results were declared by this evening.
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The elections were completely peaceful with Srinagar district recording highest voting turnout of 100 percent while Shopian district in South Kashmir registered lowest polling percentage of 85.3. Number of other districts also recorded turnout of around 99 percent while overall turnout was 98.3 percent. A total of 26629 Sarpanchs and Panchs comprised Electoral College for the elections.
Three major political parties including Congress, National Conference and People’s Democratic Party besides smaller groups like CPM, People’s Conference etc stayed away from the elections.
The BJP emerged largest party winning chairpersonship of 81 BDCs followed by National Panthers Party which won eight Councils, all in Udhampur district and Congress one.
The Independents, a good number of whom were proxies of National Conference and PDP, recorded victories in 217 Councils.
A total of 1065 candidates were in the fray.
This was for the first time that the BDC elections were held in Jammu and Kashmir which completed second tier of the Panchayats. The Panchayat elections in the State were held in November-December last year. The Central and State Governments have already announced that Jammu and Kashmir will have all three-tiers of Panchayats, the third being District Planning and Development Boards (DPDBs). However, the DPDB elections will be held only after bifurcation of the State into two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh on October 31.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Shailendra Kumar told media persons that election was held for 280 BDCs while 27 candidates had already been elected unopposed. Of these 307 BDCs, BJP captured 81, Congress one, National Panthers Party eight and Independents 217, he said.
The State has total of 316 BDCs. Election has been deferred in nine BDCs.
Kumar said the BJP won 52 Councils in Jammu region, 18 in Kashmir and 11 in Ladakh. The NPP captured all eight Councils in Udhampur district of Jammu and drew blank in rest 21 districts. Congress bagged lone Council in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
As many as 109 Independent candidates won the chairpersonship of the BDCs in Kashmir followed by 88 in Jammu and 20 in Ladakh totaling 217.
Election was held for 148 Councils in Jammu, 128 in Kashmir and 31 in Ladakh.
Responding to a question on whether there was anything on record from National Conference or PDP regarding boycott of the elections, the CEO, who is Election Authority for the Panchayat elections, quipped: “they (the NC and PDP) hadn’t sent me anything in writing whether they are contesting or boycotting or supporting. I can’t answer on their behalf”.
Though the Congress had announced boycott of the BDC elections, two candidates of the party were in the fray on party mandate and one of them emerged victorious in Pulwama district.
It may be mentioned here that only Sarpanchs and Panchs were eligible to contest the election for Chairpersonship. As many as 26629 Sarpanchs and Panchs were eligible to vote.
Victory of 217 Independent candidates in the BDC elections was clear indication that National Conference, PDP and even Congress besides other small groups had fielded their candidates as Independents and good number of them managed to win also. However, political observers were of the view that majority of Independent candidates who won the election were neutral and that was the reason of their victory.
Also, 98.3 percent turnout in the elections indicated that the Panchayat members affiliated with the political parties which didn’t participate in the elections joined the poll process whole heartedly.
Of 81 BDCs won by the BJP, the party got lion’s share in Jammu region where it won 52 Councils followed by 18 in Kashmir and 11 in Ladakh. One of the BJP candidates in Leh and few others had won unopposed in Kashmir. A total of 27 candidates, majority of them Independents had been elected unopposed in the Valley.
Significant was the BJP victory in eight out of 19 BDCs in Rajouri district and seven out of 13 in Kishtwar district. The party, however, drew a blank in Poonch district where all 11 Independent candidates won.
In Jammu district, which is considered to be strong citadel of the BJP, the party got nine out of 20 seats. In Kathua also, the BJP secured nine of 19 Councils. In Ramban, the BJP could win only two out of 11 Councils.
The BJP also managed to win four out of 15 BDCs in Kargil district, which is being considered as good show in the Muslim-dominated district However, in Leh, it won just seven out of 16 Councils while 11 Councils went to Independents. Poor show by the BJP in Leh was despite the grant of Union Territory status to Ladakh, a long standing demand of the people of Buddhist-dominated Leh district. Moreover, the Congress was not in the fray.
Of 18 seats won by the BJP in Kashmir, eight came from South Kashmir’s Shopian district, which had nine Councils and four in another South Kashmir district of Pulwama.
Earlier in the day, voting for the elections was held from 9 am to 1 pm and counting started at 3 pm. At most of the places, the counting was completed within two hours and winners were taken out in victory processions.
Significantly, Srinagar district recorded 100 percent turnout while lowest 85.3 percent polling was registered in Shopian. Number of districts accounted for around 99 percent polling. Overall voting percentage stood at 98.3.
The Panchs and Sarpanchs in Srinagar were taken in a bus under security cover to facilitate them in polling and the district, which has been witnessing a tense atmosphere since August 5 when the State’s special status under Article 370 was abrogated by the Centre, saw 100 per cent polling by 11 am.
The similar exercise was followed in all remaining districts in Kashmir, where militants had have threatened to disrupt the democratic exercise.
This was first election in the State after abrogation of Article 370 and last in the undivided Jammu and Kashmir, which will split into two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh on October 31.
Meanwhile, Sarpanchs and Panchs expressed joy on becoming a part of this first-ever election and said they see it as a path to the “dawn of a new era” for grassroots-level democracy.
Of the three-tier Panchayat Raj system, the Government has implemented the second tier with BDC polls, but Panchs hope for immediate elections to the third tier to elect district chairpersons.
“We are very happy to become part of history by taking part in the first-ever BDC polls in Jammu and Kashmir. It is a step towards a new dawn of grassroots-level democracy in the State,” said Sanjeev Kumar, a Panch of Pandora border Panchayat (Samba).
Kumar said it will empower the Panchayat Raj system in Jammu and Kashmir. He batted strongly for holding earlier polls to choose district chairpersons.
Like him, Naib Sarpanch Abdul Rasheed of Reasi also patted the Government for taking the bold step to hold polls to the BDCs for the first time. “It will empower democratic setup from villages to districts by empowering Sarpanchs and Panchs. We are very happy today,” he said.
Sarpanch Ritu Choudhary of Kathua echoed Rasheed.
“Holding these polls was a challenge. But the Government and election body took a bold step. We are happy to be part of this election. We want the Government to hold election to the third tier also,” she said.
The Sarpanchs and Panchs, who voted enthusiastically on Thursday, felt a fully functioning Panchayati Raj system would boost development of rural areas.
The highest numbers of candidates were in North Kashmir’s Kupwara district (101) and the lowest in South Kashmir’s Shopian (4).
Meanwhile, BJP State president Ravinder Raina credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for successful conduct of great victory of democracy in Jammu and Kashmir by conducting first-ever election to the BDCs in the State.
“All credit goes to the Prime Minister for first holding elections to Panchayats and now BDCs. Boycott of elections by the NC, Congress and PDP was a clear indication that they don’t want restoration of power at the grass-root level,” Raina said.
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