Srinagar: The first-ever District Development Council (DDC) elections were held in 8 phases in Jammu and Kashmir on 280 seats - 140 each in both divisions of the Union Territory.
The DDC elections were the first democratic exercise held in Jammu and Kashmir after the amendment of Article 370 and division of the erstwhile state into two union territories last year.
The polls commenced on November 28 and concluded on Saturday with an overall voter turnout of approximately 51 per cent. This is the first time that elections in the region were open to non-state subjects like West Pakistan Refugees.
Set to become a new layer of governance in the Union Territory, the DDCs will oversee the functioning of Halqa Panchayats and block development councils. The DDCs, which are expected to prepare and approve district plans and capital expenditures, will replace the District Planning and Development Boards in all districts across the region.
Each DDC will have 14 directly-elected members and five standing committees will be constituted for finance, development, public works, health and education, and welfare.
Mainstream political parties, including the PDP, the National Conference and People's Conference are contesting the polls as a united front against the BJP and its allies in the region. The parties formed the People’s Alliance for the Gupkar Declaration to counter the BJP in the region while demanding the restoration of the pre-August 5 status for Jammu and Kashmir.
The saffron party has gone all out for the DDC polls in Jammu and Kashmir with its known national faces camping in the Union Territory to woo the voters.
As these are the first polls after the Article 370 amendment in Jammu and Kashmir, it is a litmus test for the BJP which has been trying to highlight the importance of the special status removal from the erstwhile state.
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