Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti won the by-election from Anantnag Assembly constituency of south Kashmir on Saturday defeating her Congress rival with a margin of 12,085 votes. Her rivals were unable to put up a formidable fight in an election that saw one-thirds of the electorate exercising their franchise in the constituency on June 22.
Mehbooba polled 17,701 votes from the total of 28,500 votes while her nearest Congress rival Hilal Shah secured 5,616 votes. The Opposition National Conference candidate Iftikhar Misger stood a distant third with 2,811 votes.
The verdict is much better for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as compared to the 2014 elections when Mehbooba’s late father Mufti Muhammad Sayeed had faced a tough challenge from Shah who had polled more than 10,000 votes.
Mehbooba’s election to the Assembly was necessary as she had to become member of one of the two Houses of J&K legislature within a period of six months from taking oath as the Chief Minister. She became the first woman Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir on April 4.
The bypoll in Anantnag was necessitated after the demise of Mufti Muhammad Sayeed on January 7. The PDP has now regained its number of 29 legislators in the Assembly.
Mehbooba’s election to the Assembly would necessitate by-election in Anantnag lok Sabha constituency that she is currently representing. After winning the election Mehbooba thanked the voters for reposing faith in her and vowed to continue her efforts for development of Jammu & Kashmir.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Mehbooba on her “phenomenal” victory. “Congratulations to J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti for the phenomenal victory in the Anantnag Assembly by-election,” he tweeted.
Earlier, Opposition legislators in the Assembly alleged that several electronic voting machines were not properly sealed that led to protest by candidates at the counting hall in Anantnag.
Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had congratulated Mufti three days ago in the Assembly saying that her win was imminent in the backdrop of “misuse of official machinery for the Chief Minister’s election”. Abdullah ridiculed her for skipping the Assembly when the demands for the grants for departments under CM’s control were being discussed in the Assembly.
Meanwhile, the PDP has thanked Anantnag people for the support. “I salute the people of Anantnag for having shown immense political maturity and steering clear of the propaganda floated by the Opposition and having voted for PDP in great numbers,” PDP chief spokesperson Mehboob Beg said in a statement.
The people have reposed their faith in Mufti Sahab’s idea of sewing together PDP-BJP alliance for the larger good and development of the State and have not fallen for the gimmicks played by the Opposition, he said.