Early Times Report
Srinagar, Nov 25: Former Peoples Conference leader Junaid Azam Maattu was on Wednesday elected as Mayor of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), months after he was removed from the post following losing a no-confidence motion moved against him by some corporators.
"Mattu secured 44 votes while his opponent and former deputy Mayor Sheikh Imran bagged seven votes in the 74-member SMC," official sources said.
They said 26 members staged a walkout during the elections.
Confirming the verdict of the Mayor election, Mr Mattu said, "What a humbling, emphatic verdict! We have touched the 2/3rd majority mark!"
"Thank you to my fellow Hon'ble Corporators and the people of Srinagar for your trust and faith again.
Together we will all serve Srinagar and take it to new heights," he wrote on micro-blogging site twitter.
The Srinagar Mayor also shared a video on twitter along with the text, which read, "Now Commissioner SMC and SDM being assaulted by NC Deputy Mayor Parvez Qadri and Imran Sheikh group."
Jammu and Kashmir High Court (HC) on Tuesday dismissed an application, seeking a stay on the notification for the election of SMC Mayor.
Mattu, who was expelled from Peoples Conference in September, was elected to the office six months after he was removed as the SMC Mayor following losing a no-confidence motion moved against him by some corporators.
Mattu had resigned from the National Conference (NC) only to participate in the polls in 2018. A former financial analyst, who returned from the US barely a decade ago to join politics, later joined People's Conference led by Sajjad Lone.
However, Peoples Conference announced in September that it has ended its association with Mr Mattu.
Mattu, in a series of tweets, said the association with the JKPC ended due to his differences with the party on certain stands and issues. "I'm glad the speculations have ended and there is a confirmation from both sides today that my association with @JKPC_ has come to an end. This is something that has evolved over the last couple of months due to my differences on certain stands and issues," the Srinagar Mayor had tweeted.
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