Independents win bypoll to two DDC seats in Kashmir
An Independent candidate Aamina Majeed backed by the National Conference emerged victorious in a District Development Council (DDC) Drugmulla constituency in the Kupwara district.
In Bandipora, Nazah Begum an independent candidate supported by Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party candidate won the District Development Council Hajin-A constituency election. The results of the re-poll of both constituencies were declared by the State Election Commission, Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday.
As per the reports available, 10 candidates were in the fray for DDC Drugmulla constituency re-polls elections, one candidate each from National Conference (NC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress and six independent candidates.
Reports further said that a total of 10675 votes were polled out of which 240 were counted invalid. As per the result, Aamina Majeed received a total of 3259 votes. PDP candidate Shabnam Rehman got 3220 votes. Hameeda Begum, the JKAP candidate received 1474 votes.
BJP candidate Shakeela Akhter received 877 votes; Shabrooz Hassan Congress candidate received 746 votes; Rifat Jaan got 612 votes; Rafiqa Bano got 123 votes; Hafeeza Begum got 62 votes; Gulshan Begum got 34 votes and Gulshan Begum 28 votes.
In Bandipora, DDC Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson posts are held by Jammu and Kashmir National Conference.
In Hajin A constituency, 5 candidates were in the fray for the re-polls which included three independent candidates and one each from the People’s Conference and Bharatiya Janata Party.
As per the final result, Nazah secured 2706 votes, Atiqa Begum PC candidate got 2283 votes; Abida Afzal independent candidate got 2241 votes; Kulsuma BJP candidate got 387 votes and Zahida Begum independent candidate got 315 votes.
It is pertinent to mention here that last year in March, the election department had declared that the polling in the DDC constituency Drugmulla held on 07.12.2020 and DDC constituency Hajin-A held on 19.12.2020 was void and cancelled the candidature of Soomia Sadaff and Shazia Begum.
In Kupwara, DDC Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson posts are being held by Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference.
The election department had then ordered that the re-poll shall be held by re-drawing the list of contesting candidates after dropping the name of these two candidates. The re-poll shall be conducted under the applicable election rules/guidelines, on the date to be notified by the Election Authority, through a separate order,” it had said.
Whereas, last month the J&K Union Territory’s State Election Commission Wednesday ordered re-polling in two district development council seats of Kashmir Drugmmulla in Bandipora and Hajin-A in Kupwara on December 5.
