Seven Independent Candidates Among 365 Secure Wins

   

SRINAGAR: As the results of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections are announced, seven independent candidates have emerged victorious in their respective constituencies.

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Hafiz Mohammad Sikander, former Jamaat-e-Islami district president and an independent candidate for Bandipora Constituency

Shabir Ahmad Kullay won from Shopian, Payare Lal Sharma won from Inderwal, defeating veteran leader Ghulam Mohammad Saroori by a narrow margin of 643 votes. Dr Rameshwar Singh won from Bani, defeating BJP candidate and former MLA Jewan Lal by 2,048 votes. Singh secured 18,672 votes, while Lal polled 16,624 votes.

Furthermore, Choudhary Mohammed Akram won from Surankote, defeating Congress candidate Mohammad Shahnawaz with a margin of 8,851 votes. Akram polled 34,201 votes. Engineer Rashid’s brother, Khursheed Ahmad Sheikh, won Langate with 25,984 votes, defeating Irfan Sultan Pandithpuri of Jammu & Kashmir People’s Conference by a margin of 1,602 votes.

Independent candidate Satish Sharma won from Chhamb by 6,929 votes, defeating BJP candidate Rajeev Sharma. In Thannamandi, Muzaffar Iqbal Khan won by 6,179 votes, defeating Mohammad Iqbal Malik of the BJP.

Independent candidates have historically participated in elections, but their presence is notably more significant in 2024, accounting for 40 per cent of candidates. This year, 385 candidates contested for 90 assembly seats.

Engineer Rashid’s Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) fielded candidates in 35 to 40 seats in Kashmir. As the AIP is not registered with the Election Commission of India (ECI), its candidates contested individually.

Historical context reveals that independent candidates comprised 37 per cent of contenders in the 2008 assembly elections, with 190 candidates. This number decreased to 87 in 2014. The total number of candidates also dropped from 468 in 2008 to 274 in 2014. However, 2024 sees a resurgence, with 365 independent candidates, making it the second-highest number of independent candidates after 2008.

 

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