Avtar Singh, an Independent Sikh candidate from Dadsara constituency in South Kashmir district of Pulwama won the maiden District Development council polls in Jammu and Kashmir by a slender margin of only three votes.
He is not the only one who managed to score a close victory. Around one dozen other candidates, belonging to the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, BJP, and few other independents scored less than five hundred votes in these polls yet emerged victorious.
Srinagar, Pulwama and Shopian turned out to be the three districts in Kashmir valley where the winning candidates garnered 6221,10992 and 10153 votes respectively.
Compared to this 184944 votes were polled by the winning candidates from Jammu district,105457 from Kathua and 59088 from Samba.
According to the records of the State Election Commission, “several candidates of the Gupkar alliance garnered barely 100 plus votes and were declared winners”.
A National Conference candidate, Mehmooda Akhter from Karpin constituency of Shopian, polled only 119 votes while her nearest rival, Shaheen Akhter, an independent candidate too polled 34 votes. From the neighboring constituency of Zainpora-I in Shopian
Bilqees Jan secured a little higher number of 146 votes while her nearest rival Gull Iqbal polled 135 votes. Jan won by a thin margin of 11 votes.
Another Independent candidate Mohd Yaseen Rather from Qamarwari-II Srinagar defeated his nearest rival belonging to Jammu and Kashmir Apni party by a margin of 21 votes. He polled 156 votes while his nearest rival from JKAP, Parvaiz Ahmad Mir polled 135 votes.
A PDP candidate, another constituent of the Gupkar Alliance, Abdul Rashid Lone from Hermain-II, Shopian polled 182 votes and his nearest rival Waseem Raja Parray polled 122 votes. Yasmeen Jan of National Conference from Imamsahib-I in Shopian polled 193 votes and her nearest rival Gull Iqbal polled 65 votes only.
Interestingly, Gull Iqbal contested from two seats in the district and lost both the seats securing 65 and 135 votes.
Another woman candidate of JKAP,Shameema Bano from Srinagar polled 213 votes while her nearest rival Fahmeeda from National Conference polled 177 votes. Malik Aftab of JKAP from Srinagar-III polled 274 votes while his nearest rival from BJP Riyaz Ahmed Ganai polled 100 votes. Mehmooda Akhter , an independent candidate from Shadimarg, Pulwama polled 294 votes and her nearest rival Nagina Akhter polled 94 votes only. Meanwhile, Minha Lateef of BJP from Litter constituency won the election by a margin of 16 votes only from Pulwama. She polled 364 votes and her nearest rival Ruqaya Bano from PDP polled 350 votes .