The Newscraving Desk
Srinagar, December 5:
The election for Hajin—A district development council (DDC) seat has turned into a prestige battle for political parties with National Conference and Peoples Conference leaving no stone unturned to woo voters over the past two weeks.
In the election, NC is supporting Abida Bano, who has filed nomination papers as an independent candidate. PC has fielded Atiqa Begum, who is contesting on “apple” symbol.
National Conference and Peoples Conference campaign was led respectively by Hilal Akbar Lone( son of sitting of MP Muhammad Akbar Lone) and former legislator Yasir Reshi.
Both Lone and Reshi held massive roadshows in different areas of DDC seat to drum up support for their candidates.
While National Conference has been seeking votes on performance of Muhammad Akbar Lone, three –time MLA and sitting MP, Peoples Conference highlighted “underdevelopment and unemployment in the area to take on NC.
Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party, Democratic Azad Party and Bharatiya Janta Party are also backing candidates on the seat. An official told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that 16000 persons are eligible to cast their votes in Hajin-A
“We have set-up 57 polling stations for smooth conduct of elections in the constituency,” he said.
Meanwhile around 4.78 percent polling was recorded in Drugmulla district development council(DDC) seat in the first two hours of voting on Monday. As many as 1569 votes were polled in the first two hours in the seat with a total electorate of 32776.
The election in the seat is being dubbed as a “semi-final” between National Conference and Peoples Conference before assembly elections in J&K.
While PC is supporting Shabnam Lone, who is fighting election on PDP ticket, National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party, who are constituents of PAGD, are supporting separate independent candidates.
In the polls, National Conference leaders Choudhary Muhammad Ramzan and Mir Saifullah campaigned for advocate Aminah, who had filed nomination papers as an independent candidate in 2020.
Interestingly, Peoples Democratic Party is backing Rifat Wani, who is also contesting as an independent candidate. Apni Party, Congress BJP candidates are also contesting polls in the seat.
An official said that ten candidates are in the fray. Till last reports Hajin (A) DDC constituency recorded a polling percentage of 34.43 till 11 am and Drugmulla 15.7%, officials said.
The State Election Commission (SEC) had declared the polls of both the District Development Council (DDC) seats as “null and void” after two women from Pakistan’s side of Kashmir contested the elections on their return to Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory.