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Even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the single largest party in the J&K District Development Council (DDC) election results and called it a “resounding slap on the face of terrorists,” the Gupkar group, which registered a massive win, said that the people had shown the BJP the power of democracy.
While the BJP won 75 seats, the Gupkar alliance won 110 seats in total.
PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti, on Tuesday, stated that the results have made it clear that people of J&K voted en masse for JKPAGD, thus rejecting the “unconstitutional decision” to abrogate Article 370.
She further said that the victory was a hard earned one, pointing out that she was “illegally” detained thrice in the process.
Meanwhile former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah alleged that if the Gupkar Alliance had lost the polls, the BJP would have labelled them anti-nationals, opportunist, and pro-Pakistan.
“Those people who couldn’t digest that People’s Alliance has won, they have to say something to say and they are saying democracy has won. God forbid, if they would have lost, these people would have said that the alliance has lost, opportunists have lost, anti-nationals have lost, pro-Pakistanis have lost,” he said, as quoted by Outlook.
“If in real sense you are saying that democracy has won then you have to listen to people's voice. People of Jammu and Kashmir have made it clear that 5 August, 2019 is not acceptable to them,” he added.
Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday asserted that “Jammu and Kashmir has delivered a “resounding slap” to “terrorists, extremists, and separatists”.
Addressing a press conference Prasad, according to NDTV, said: “The voter turnout in Kashmir, especially in places known as 'hotbeds of terror', has been much higher than in previous elections, before the scrapping of Article 370.”
“The defeat of Gupkar Alliance from the area of Burhan Wani is important for additional reasons. The so called killing of Burhan Wani was made an issue of international campaign by these elements. Today the Gupkar Alliance’s defeat from that area shows the change of wave in J&K,” Prasad tweeted.
Taking to Twitter, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that that the the DDC polls “stand testimony” to his claim of Modi government “doing everything possible to restore the grass root democracy in Jammu and Kashmir.”
BJP’s DDC polls in-charge Anurag Thakur, while addressing the media, said that the election results were a befitting reply to Mehbooba Mufti.
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Published: 23 Dec 2020,11:23 PM IST