Srinagar- The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has faced a setback in south Kashmir’s Shopian district, which has been considered its bastion since the party’s inception.
According to details, candidates who were denied PDP tickets but contested as independents garnered more votes than those endorsed by the party in both the Zainapora and Shopian constituencies.
In Shopian, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Javid Qadri received 6,895 votes, surpassing PDP’s Yawar Banday, who secured 5,486 votes. The BJP’s vote share in Shopian stood at 12 percent, while PDP’s was just 9 percent, despite the constituency previously being represented by PDP’s Gh Hassan Khan in 2002, Ab Razak Wagay in 2008, and Mohammad Yousuf Bhat in 2014.
In the 2014 elections, Javid Qadri received 3,384 votes (8 percent), while PDP’s Mohammad Yousuf Bhat secured 14,262 votes (34.2 percent).
This year, rebel leader Shabir Ahmad Kullay from the National Conference won with 14,113 votes (24 percent), followed closely by NC’s Sheikh Rafi with 12,906 votes (22 percent). PDP’s rebel Raja Waheed, running as an independent and backed by AIP, received 10,440 votes (18 percent).
In the Zainapora constituency, which was previously represented by former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in 2008 and former MLA Aijaz Mir in 2014, PDP’s candidate managed only 6,200 votes compared to NC’s over 28,000. Aijaz Mir, contesting as an independent, garnered over 15,000 votes, finishing second.
Analysts have criticised PDP’s performance in Shopian, saying the party’s influence has waned to a very much extent. The party’s rebel candidates received double the votes of their main contenders, with even the BJP outperforming the PDP in Shopian, they said.
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