| Finally DDCs elections turned into triangular contest among BJP, Cong, Gupkar Alliance | | |
EARLY TIMES REPORT
Jammu, Dec 18: Last phase of the eight-phased much-publicized District Development Councils (DDCs) elections will be held on Saturday. Although the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) had announced seat adjustment with Congress, these elections have finally turned into a triangular contest among BJP, Congress and PAGD in different parts of J&K.
Except at a few places, Congress and PAGD candidates are fighting against each other. As far as BJP is concerned, the party has fielded candidates in almost all regions and sub-regions of J&K. At some places the party is unofficially supporting some Independent candidates.
The fight is among the many BJP, Congress and the Gupkar Alliance, which was formed to launch collectively struggle for the restoration of Article 370 in J&K.
The NC and PDP had boycotted the Panchayats, BDCs and Urban Local Bodies elections. However this time, each of the events entered the fray, saying they don’t need to give the saffron get together a free run in J&K.
The BJP has deployed a team of senior ministers and leaders together for campaigning.
Polling for 280 DDCs seats and vacant seats of Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) are being carried out in eight phases — November 28, December 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16 and 19. Polling for seven phases has been concluded and the final section of polling will happen on Saturday (December 19) and the counting will happen on December 22 (Tuesday). The final basic elections to Panchayat had been held in 2018.
In that election, 33,592 Panch constituencies and 4290 Sarpanch constituencies had gone to polls.
Of those, 22214 Panches and 2459 Sarpanchs had been elected. Panchayat vacancies accrued on account of dying, resignation, and so forth of the elected Sarpanches and Panches. One other 307 seats of Panches and Sarpanches fell vacant on account of elections of chairpersons of BDCs in October 2019. |
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