30 years after: Azad creates record to enter J

Srinagar, Apr 27 (UNI) Nearly 30 years after he forfeited his security deposit in his first attempt to seek entry into the Assembly in 1977 elections, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today emerged victorious from the Bhaderwah constituency with a record margin of more than 58,000 votes.

And this time, it was the turn of Mr Azad's opponent to forfeit his security deposit.

Mr Azad's landslide win comes within six months of being sworn in as the tenth Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on November two last year as per a power-sharing agreement reached between the Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after the 2002 Assembly elections gave a hung verdict.

Contesting from Inderwal constituency in Doda district of Jammu region in 1977, Mr Azad had secured 959 votes only against 5296 by Ghulam Mohammad Sheikh of the National Conference (NC) and lost his security deposit. Mr Abdul Gani Goni of the Janata Party came second behind Mr Sheikh as he polled 2530 votes.

In the April 24 by-elections, Mr Azad decided to contest from the neighbouring Bhaderwah constituency in Doda district, which was vacated by his cousin and former Power Minister Mohammad Sharief Niaz, to enable the Chief Minister to seek the maiden entry into the state Assembly.

In a straight fight, Mr Azad defeated his nearest Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rival Dhanentar Singh by more tha 58,000 votes.

While the Chief Minister secured 62,072 votes which is the highest number of ballots secured by any contesting candidate in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Singh could manage only 4057 and had to forfeit his security deposit.

Mr Azad, a former Union Minister, has twice contested the Lok Sabha elections from Maharashtra. While in 1984, he won from Akola, but was defeated from Yavatmal in 1989.

Incidentally, Mr Azad's predecessor Mufti Mohammad Sayeed of the PDP was also elected to the state Assembly after he had assumed the Chief Minister's office in 2002.

In the October 2004 bypolls, Mr Sayeed had won from the Pahalgam seat, vacated by his daughter and PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti on being elected to the Lok Sabha from the Anantnag parliamentary constituency in the general elections held in May same year.

Mr Sayeed defeated his nearest NC rival Rafi Ahmed Mir by a margin of 5,174 votes. Mr Sayeed had polled 9,056 votes while Mr Mir secured 3,882 votes.

Significantly, that was the first time in the past 37 years that Mr Sayeed had won an Assembly election from the Kashmir valley.

He had contested the Assembly elections that time after a gap of 17 years. But, was elected to the Lok Sabha from Anantnag in 1998 as a Congress candidate. Mr Sayeed contested the Lok Sabha elections in 1999 from Anantnag as an Independent candidate but had lost to NC's Ali Mohammad Naik.

Mr Sayeed had won the 1989 Lok Sabha elections from Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh on a Janata Dal ticket to become independent India's first Muslim Home Minister.

UNI AG ASM RR RK1720