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| Suspense about identity of candidates fighting civic polls in Kmr all set to end as counting commences | | | Jehangir Rashid
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Oct 19: Suspense over the identity of candidates who braved militant threats and took a plunge in recently concluded municipal elections would be over as the counting of votes for these elections would be taken up at the district headquarters across the state on Saturday.
The identity of the people who fought the civic polls in Kashmir was kept secret following threats from militants to such candidates. At majority of the polling booths the presiding officers and the other staff did not divulge details of the candidates to the media persons visiting such polling booths.
It was due to this fear factor many of the wards in the local bodies in the Kashmir witnessed no contest and there were many others where no nominations were filed. The militants had threatened that they will not hesitate to kill or cause harm to the people who decide the fight the municipal elections in the valley.
Sources told Early Times that the picture with respect to the candidates fighting the municipal polls would become clear as and when counting of votes would commence. Barring few names the people in general don't know as whom among them fought elections from different wards of the municipal bodies in Kashmir.
"The municipal polls were unique as it was for the first time the people did not know about the candidates. However, the things would be clear as and when the counting of votes would start. It remains to be seen whether there would be any full-fledged celebration or not in the Kashmir valley," said sources.
There are many people in Kashmir who are interested as who becomes the next Mayor of Srinagar. While some of the people opine that Junaid Mattu is the front runner in this regard there are others who say that Bharatiya Janta Party's Arif Raja would be the new Mayor of the summer capital of the state. Mattu is fighting elections from four wards of Srinagar.
BJP State President and MLA Nowshera, Ravinder Raina had some days back claimed that Raja would be the new Mayor of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC). Raina said that his party members would sweep the municipal polls across the length and breadth of the state including Kashmir valley.
"Given the fact that National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party boycotted the municipal elections the BJP has a golden chance of foraying into the bastions of two leading regional parties of Kashmir. Although, Congress fought the elections but ground reports suggest that the party is all set to receive a shock in the civic polls," said sources.
In the meantime, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Shaleen Kabra said that the counting updates and results shall be declared by the concerned Returning Officers from the Joint Control Rooms established at the venue of counting at the respective district headquarters.
The municipal elections were held in four phases, covering 79 municipal bodies with an electorate of about 17 lakh electors. A total of 3,372 nominations were filed for 1145 Wards and the voting was held on October 8th, 10th, 13th and 16th. |
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