news details |
|
|
| Abdullah power circle complete: Kamal wins Hazratbal elections | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
Srinagar, June 7: Even though opposition People’s Democratic Party candidate, Asiya Naqash, improved her vote tally in last six months, she could not overcome National Conference’s supremacy in Srinagar district as ruling coalition candidate, Sheikh Mustafa Kamal was elected to state legislative assembly from Hazratbal constituency on Sunday.
Sheikh Mustafa Kamal, younger brother of Dr Farooq Abdullah— NC president—defeated his close rival Asiya Naqash by a margin of 1552 votes. Sheikh Mustafa Kamal secured 8555 votes as against 7003 polled by Asiya Naqash in the bye-elections to Hazratbal, which went to polls on June 3 after being postponed twice.
Three other candidates in the fray, they said, together polled 1814 votes, majority of which went in favour of Save Srinagar Front candidate, Mufti Nizamuddin, who polled 1467 votes.
PDP nominee, Asiya lost to Dr. Farooq Abdullah by a margin of 4,272 votes in last year’s election held in November-December. While Dr. Abdullah got 11,041 votes, Asiya polled 6,769 votes. The total votes polled were 24,720 and the percentage was recorded at 28.91.
The by-poll elections to Hazratbal constituency were necessitated after the resignation of NC patron and two of the incumbent ministers from Jammu and Kashmir in Manmohan Singh’s cabinet, Farooq Abdullah.
The senior Abdullah retained the Sonawar among the two seats he won during the last assembly elections in the state. With the victory, Kamaal registered his second by-election win in six years.
After defeating Iftikhar Hussein Ansari of PDP in by-elections of Pattan in 2002, Kamal however lost his home constituency of Gulmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district to Ghulam Hassan Mir, a PDP rebel, in last year’s assembly polls.
The other candidates in fray include Muhammad Yaqoob Dunoo of National Panthers Party, Mufti Nazim ud Din and Abdul Ahad Mir, independents.
The total number of electorate in Hazratbal constituency was 86,668 out of which 45,498 were male and 41,170 female voters. Officials said that 20 percent voting was recorded in the constituency.
As the ruling National Conference retained its supremacy in Srinagar district by retaining all its 8 seats, the by-election, the party also kept its success record intact.
The Hazratbal constituency has been represented all along by NC since 1952 till last elections on June 3 this year.
While Peer Yehya Shah Sadiqi won in 1957, 1962, and 1967 elections, Sofi Ghulam Ahmed won in 1972. Hissam-ud-Din Banday was elected in 1977 and 1983 elections from this constituency. This constituency was represented by Mohammad Yaseen Shah in 1987 and Mohammad Syed Akhoon in 1996 respectively. In 2002, Mohammad Syed Akhoon again won the seat on NC ticket.
The by-elections generated quite a bit of heat after the “illegal” acceptance of nomination papers of Dr Sheikh Mustafa Kamal of National Conference. Following the incident, the Election
Commission annulled the notification and polls were deferred from May 07 to May 30. The elections were recently again deferred due to festivities in Khirbawani before being held on June 03.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
