Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday hailed the recent conclusion of the District Development Council (DDC) elections in Jammu and Kashmir and said the Modi government is doing everything to restore the grassroots democracy in the union territory.
In a series of tweets, Shah also thanked the people of Jammu and Kashmir for voting the BJP as the single largest party in the maiden DDC polls.
"The Modi government is doing everything possible to restore the grassroots democracy in Jammu & Kashmir. The recently held DDC polls for the first time in the history of J&K is the testimony of the same. The mass participation in these elections reflects people's faith in democracy," he tweeted.
Congratulating the people of Jammu and Kashmir for "such a great turnout" in the DDC elections, the home minister applauded the efforts of the security forces and local administration for successfully conducting these multi-phased elections as this will further boost the morale and trust of people of the UT in democracy.
"I heartily thank our sisters and brothers of J&K for voting BJP as the single largest party in the District Development Council elections. BJP under the leadership of PM @narendramodi ji will continue to work relentlessly towards the prosperity and development of the J&K region," he said.
Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Election Commissioner KK Sharma on Wednesday declared the final results for the maiden District Development Council (DDC) elections in the union territory.
According to the final tally, the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), which among others includes regional heavyweights National Conference and PDP, swept the maiden District Development Council (DDC) polls by winning 110 seats, while the BJP emerged as the single largest party by getting 75 seats and the maximum vote share in Jammu and Kashmir.
The counting of votes for the 280 DDC constituencies -- 14 each in 20 districts -- started on Tuesday morning after the peaceful culmination of the eight-phase election from November 28 to December 19. This was the first democratic exercise in Jammu and Kashmir post abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two union territories last year.
Out of the 278 seats for which results have been declared by the J-K Election Commission, besides the PAGD and the BJP, Independent candidates have won 50, Congress 26, Apni Party 12, PDF and the National Panthers Party two each and the BSP one.
(With inputs from agencies)
