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In S Kashmir BJP controls 5 MCs, Cong wins all its 3 strong holds

ESS AHMAD. Dated: 10/21/2018 1:05:34 PM

In 8 MCs contest between two parties, in rest saffron uncontested

ANANTNAG, Oct 20: In south Kashmir, considered to be the militancy hotbed Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) won four Municipal Committees (MCs) while the Congress controlled three local bodies in its strongholds. The counting of the votes for urban local bodies polls was held today at the respective district headquarters.
Though the BJP won around 70 seats in twenty Municipal Committees of the region but emerged victorious with majority of the seats in local bodies, where the party can have its chairman.
In Devsar Municipal Committee in Kulgam district, the party won all the eight wards uncontested as neither the Congress had fielded any candidate there no any independent had filed the nomination.
In Municipal Committee Qazigund, BJP got simple majority winning four of seven seats. Three other wards were vacant as nobody had turned up to contest for them.
In MC Pahalgam in the neighbouring Anantnag district, out of total 13 wards, BJP won seven unopposed while for six remaining wards there was no contest in the absence of any candidates.
In MC Mattan where there was contest for ten wards out of 13, BJP managed victory over eight wards where as an independent and a Congress candidate won two other wards. The municipality will see a chairman from the BJP for the first time.
In volatile Shopian district, BJP won 12 wards out of 17 in MC Shopian unopposed as no other candidate from Congress or independent had filed nominations. All the 12 candidates, officials said, field by the party for twelve wards of Shopian are Kashmiri migrant pandits.
Though the party won the wards from other municipal committees of the region but cannot form the committees due to shortage of numbers required for the same.
Congress party on the other hand controlled three municipalities of the region including municipal council Anantnag, one of largest local body of the valley.
In MC Anantnag, Congress won 20 seats out of total 25 wards. Though the party won nine of the wards unopposed and managed victory against the BJP or independent candidates in 11 eleven wards. BJP won the three wards in the council while as independents managed victory in two other wards.
In 17 member Dooru municipal committee, the strong bastion of state Congress chief G A Mir, Congress won 14 wards uncontested while as BJP managed to win two seats uncontested. One seat remained vacant due to the absence of the candidate.
Similarly, in Municipal Committee Kokernag, the strong-hold of former state Congress chief, Peerzada Mohammad Syed, Congress won ten wards out of 13. In two other wards independent candidates were declared winners unopposed while as remaining ward had no contestant.
In MC Yaripora, the party won three seats unopposed while rest of the four wards had no contestant at all.
Elsewhere in the region, BJP won three wards in Tral unopposed while rest of the 13 member MC had no candidate.
In Bijbehara MC, the home town former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, BJP won three wards unopposed while as the Congress won two seats.
In 17-member MC Pampore, BJP controlled four wards as no other candidate had filed nominations there.
In 13 member MC Aishmuqam, BJP won three wards while independent candidates were elected unopposed for four other wards.
However, BJP MLC Sofi Yusuf said that his party will form the committee in the local body as he claimed that the independent candidates who won from four wards his own.
In 14 MC Pulwama, only two candidates belonging to BJP had filed nominations and both won unopposed. However, in MC Awantipora neither BJP nor Congress won any seat as only one independent candidate had turned up to contest for one ward.
MC Frisal in Kulgam district and MC Khrew in Pulwama, however, had no contestants at all.