Small margin wins recorded in low-turnout DDC constituencies in Kashmir

Srinagar/Jammu, Dec 22: An independent candidate won by just three votes against his National Conference rival, as many winners of the just concluded District Development Council (DDC) elections in Jammu and Kashmir succeeded by small margins due to the low voter turnout recorded by various constituencies in the union territory.

Avtar Singh polled 246 votes against 243 by his NC rival Ali Mohammad Bhat, the winner from Dadsara constituency in Pulwama district of south Kashmir, according to the results declared by the JK Election Commission.

From the same district, BJP's Minha Latief won by 14 votes against her PDP rival Ruqaya Bano. Lateef polled 364 votes, while Bano got 350 votes.

Independent candidate Bilqees Jan defeated her nearest rival Gull Iqbal (Independent) by 11 votes from Zainapora constituency in Shopian district. Jan polled 146 votes and Iqbal 135.

Khalida Bibi (PDP) won by seven votes, defeating her nearest rival Sajida Begum (Independent) from Larnoo constituency in Anantnag district. Bibi polled 4,580 votes against Begum's 4,573.

Bial Ahmad Deva (Independent) emerged victorious from Vessu constituency, defeating his nearest rival Mudassir Rashid Mir of Peoples Movement by 35 votes after managing a total of 1,779 votes, while Nisar Ahmad Sheikh (Independent) also registered a win over NC's Rayees Ul Hassan by 35 votes after getting a total of 1,945 votes.

The winning margin in Srinagar, from where the highest number of seven independent candidates won the DDC polls, was also very low. J&K Apni Party won three DDC seats from the district followed by one each National Conference, BJP and J&K people's movement.

Independent candidate Mohammad Yaseen Rather got 156 votes and won by 21 votes from Qamarwari constituency, J&K Apni party candidate Shameema Bano polled 213 votes and won by 36 votes and Ali Mohammad Rather (independent) Harwan-II polled 314 votes and won by 96.

For the rest of the winning candidates, the margin was in triple figures as Mohammad Shaban Chopan (independent) won by the highest margin of 521 votes in the district. He polled 609 against his nearest rival Mohammad Altaf Lali (Independent) who got 88 votes only.

In Jammu region which recorded a high turnout during the eight-phase DDC elections, BJP's Amit Sharma recorded a win by 47 votes from Majalta segment of Udhampur district against his nearest rival Rajesh Kumar of National Panthers Party. Sharma polled 4,215 votes and Kumar 4,168 votes.

The Majority of the 14 seats in the district witnessed a neck-to-neck fight mostly between the BJP and the National Panthers Party. So far, BJP has won six seats and NPP bagged one.

Hans Raj of Congress defeated BJP's Sanjay Kumar by 99 votes in Drabshalla-B constituency in Kishtwar district after securing 2,621 votes, while BJP's Sharda Bhau won from the highest margin of 8,880 votes against Congress rival Anuradha Sharma from Akhnoor constituency of Jammu district. Bhau polled 14,619 votes against 5,739 by Sharma.