A

n amalgamation of six regional parties formed the Gupkar Alliance, which includes the National Conference (NC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) emerged as a pacesetter in the District Development Council (DDC) polls on Tuesday in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Since, J&K lost its special state status last year and was turned into a Union Territory the Gupkar alliance which is led by Farooq Abdullah has seen a big win in the first local polls.

The voting for the DDC polls was first held in 280 seats in which a total number of 2,178 candidates contested- 14 in each of 20 districts in the UT of which results have been declared for all but two seats. The results announced on Tuesday on 244 seats saw that the Alliance won 96 seats and the BJP won 70 seats. The NC won 56 seats, the PDP won 26 seats. The Congress bagged 21 seats and the CPI(M) won only 5 seats.

The NC emerged as the single largest party in the Kashmir valley whereas the BJP emerged as the single largest party in the Jammu region. BJP for the first time ever won three seats from the districts of Srinagar, Pulwama and Bandipora. The Gupkar Alliance is likely to take the post of the chairperson in nine districts in the Kashmir Valley  except for Srinagar where seven seats were taken by the independent candidates and three seats won by the Apni Party. The BJP is likely to have chairpersons in the districts of Samba, Kathua, Jammu, Udhampur and Doha. The Jammu region saw scattered polling in the Pir Panjal Valley and the Chenab Valley which comprises the districts of Doda, Bhaderwah, Kishtwar, Rajouri and Poonch

A senior leader of the PDP Waheed Parra was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a terror funding case won from the district of Pulwama. The NC party and the PDP alleged that before the declaration of the DDC polls many of their leaders were detained.

The BJP called it a ‘wave of change’ in the valley after it won for the first time in the Kashmir valley after 3 of its candidates won its seats against the NP and the PDP. Jitendra Singh who is a senior BJP leader and a union minister said “Three BJP candidates have won from Srinagar. It is testimony to the fact that people of Jammu Kashmir believe in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for the development of the Union Territory.” 

Omar Abdullah the vice president of the National Conference party tweeted “I understand the temptation to overplay the three seats the BJP has won in the valley but why underplay the 35 wins/leads of the (Gupkar Alliance) in the Jammu province.” The leaders of the alliance barely got a chance to campaign for the polls as they allegedly thought that their candidates were not allowed to campaign and were confined to security compounds. The district councils receive direct funds from the union to drive speedy development in the areas. In the absence of the assembly the DDC will link the people and government in Jammu Kashmir and each chairperson of the council will enjoy the status of a junior minister.