While the National Conference-Congress combine won the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, the grand old party hit a new low as far as the results of the Jammu region were concerned.
Out of the 29 seats the Congress contested in the Jammu region, only one came their way after party candidate Iftkhar Ahmed defeated his nearest rival, Vibodh Gupta of the BJP, by a margin of 1,404 votes in Rajouri.
The Congress fielded a total of 32 candidates for the Jammu and Kashmir elections, three in Kashmir and 29 in Jammu. The National Conference led by Farooq Abdullah contested 51 seats under a pre-poll alliance between the two INDIA bloc parties and won 41.
The situation was so bad for the Congress in Jammu that many of its prominent leaders, including two working presidents, lost the polls. Most of these Congress leaders lost to their BJP rivals.
Congress working president and former Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand in Chhamb, former minister Raman Bhalla in RS Pura, former minister Vikar Rasool Wani in Banihal, two-time former MP Choudhary Lal Singh in Basohli, former ministers Manohar Lal Sharma in Billawar, Yogesh Sawhney in Jammu East, Mula Ram in Marh, and Mohammed Shabir Khan in Thanamandi lost the elections.
However, the Congress managed to win five seats in Kashmir, where former minister Peerzada Mohammad Syed defeated Mehboob Beg of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) by 1,686 votes and former MLA Nizamuddin Bhat won the Bandipora seat.
Additionally, Tariq Hameed Karra, AICC general secretary GA Mir and Irfan Hafiz Lone were the other three Congress candidates who won Central Shalteng, Dooru and Wagoora-Kreeri seats in the Kashmir valley respectively.
Independents candidates won seven, while Democratic Party (PDP) bagged four seats. Among those who lost her election was PDP’s Iltija Mufti, daughter of party president Mehbooba Mufti.
The day, however, belonged to NC leader Omar Abdullah, who lost his parliamentary election this year and won from both Budgam and Ganderbal in the Valley he contested.
Ready for a second stint as Chief Minister – he was last CM from 2009-2014 – he said that the efforts had been underway to finish his party. “But those who wanted to finish us have been wiped out. Our responsibilities have increased…” (INDIA TODAY)
