People of J&K have given full support to Gupkar alliance, says Omar Abdullah after lead in DDC Polls

PTI, Dec 23, 2020, 8:18 AM IST

Jammu: National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said the results of the just concluded District Development Council elections in Jammu and Kashmir should act as an ”eye-opener” for the BJP which had made these polls a prestige issue and a referendum on the revocation of Article 370 last year.

“The trends that have emerged in the DDC polls in JK are very encouraging for the @JKPAGD. The BJP had made this election a prestige issue about Art 370 and JK’s special status. The people have now spoken and it’s for those who believe in democracy to pay heed to these voices,” he tweeted.

Abdullah’s remarks came amid counting of votes of the DDC elections, in which the People’s Alliance on Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) has won 86 seats so far and was leading in 28 others when the last reports came in.

There are 280 seats in Jammu and Kashmir. He said the PAGD alliance had ”emerged out of the betrayal of the people of JK on 5th Aug 2019. We have faced every obstacle – illegal detentions, agency threats and pressures, our candidates were locked up to stop them campaigning and from all this we are emerging victorious.”

He expressed gratitude from the entire PAGD to the people for their ”support at this critical juncture. We reaffirm our commitment to use all democratic and legal weapons at our disposal to continue to fight for our rights”.

Taking on the BJP for showcasing the three maiden seats won from Kashmir, Omar expressed surprise that the party was silent about the seats won and leads established by the PAGD in Jammu region.

“I understand the temptation to over play the 3 seats the BJP has won in the valley but why underplay the 35 wins/leads of the @JKPAGD in Jammu province. We aren’t Kashmir based parties, we are political parties with strong support in both Kashmir AND Jammu,” he tweeted.

Three BJP candidates — Aijaz Hussain, Aijaz Ahmad Khan and Minha Lateef — won from Khonmoh-II seat in Srinagar, Tulail seat in Bandipora district and Kakpora in Pulwama respectively. This is the first time that the BJP has registered a win in the Kashmir valley while facing regional heavyweights like the National Conference and the PDP.

The party’s General Secretary Vibodh Gupta congratulated the party candidates who registered victories in the DDC elections, especially in Kashmir region, and said the people of the Valley have exhibited their faith in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.