Caravan News
SRINAGAR – Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday witnessed elections for block development council for the first time. According to official estimate the turnout in the polling was 98%. Out of 25,600 registered voters, 25,029 came out to vote for Sarpachans and Panchs amidst heavy paramilitary presence.
All the major political parties except Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) boycotted the elections. Yet, the rightwing party could not manage to cross the 100-seat mark. The independents collectively bagged 217 seats of a total of 307 blocks across the state.
This is also going to be the last election to be held in the state of Jammu and Kashmir as the region will lose its statehood on October 31 when the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, passed in early August, will come into effect.
As per the legislation, the state will be divided into separate Union territories of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.
On the 5th of August the Central government unilaterally stripped Jammu & Kashmir of its special status and imposed a lockdown on the region. Authorities launched a suppressive crackdown in which thousands of Kashmiris were taken into preventive detention and many of them slapped with Public Safety Act (PSA). Communication services were suspended restricting access to landline, mobile phone and internet services triggering unprecedented crises in areas of business, education and health.
In the Kashmir Valley, Independent candidates won 109 out of 128 seats. Despite resorting to vigorous campaign highlighting abrogation of Article 370 as its achievement through slogans and speeches, the BJP failed to sway the voters even in Jammu. Here too, Independents take the lead by securing win on the 88 seats, while the BJP settled with just 52 segments.
As per official figures, the BJP drew a blank from five districts. It managed to get just three seats in Anantnag and one in Baramulla. However, in the volatile Shopian district, the party emerged victorious on all the eight seats.
Similar figures were emerged from Ladhak, which is now going to be a separate Union territory. In Leh district, out of 31 seats, Independent candidates won 20. Similarly, in Kargil, the BJP got four seats while Independents secured win on 11 seats.
