Farooq Abdullah wins Srinagar LS bypoll

Srinagar, April 15
National Conference-Congress joint candidate for Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, Farooq Abdullah, has won the bypoll by a margin of around 10,775 votes.
After his poll victory, Farooq Abdullah demanded that Governor’s rule be imposed in Jammu and Kashmir as the state government had failed to ensure a peaceful election.
Abdullah maintained a lead over his nearest rival, Nazir Ahmad Khan of the ruling PDP, in the counting of votes, which began here on Saturday morning. Abdullah polled 48,554 votes whereas Khan polled 37,779 votes.
The counting of votes began at 8 am at the highly-guarded Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) overlooking the Dal lake. In all, 90,759 voters cast their vote in the bypoll on April 9, while re-polling at 38 polling stations was held on April 13, after violence marred the polls.
Speaking to reporters after the poll result was announced, Abdullah said, “I appeal to the Governor and the President of India to dismiss this government and impose Governor’s rule in the state where the people will get some respite and feel that such situation will not arise again.”
“I will also say that the election in Anantnag should happen under the Governor’s Rule. Otherwise it is unlikely that the people would get justice,” he said.
Claiming the eight youth who had died in the poll day violence were “martyred”, the National Conference chief said several others were in hospitals or jails and he had never seen such an election.
There were nine candidates in the fray, while the main contestants remained the opposition NC-Cong candidate Farooq Abdullah and the ruling PDP’s Nazir Ahmad Khan. The other candidates were Bikram Singh of J&K Liberal Democratic Party, Chetan Sharma of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha and Sajad Reshi of Rashtriya Samajwadi Party (Secular). The independent candidates were Mirza Sajad Hussain Beigh, Ghulam Hassan Dar, Farooq Ahmad Dar and Mehraj Khurshid Malik.
The Election Commission on Monday announced postponement of byelection to Anantnag constituency of South Kashmir till May 25; the constituency was scheduled to go to the polls on April 12. This decision was taken in view of the widespread violence, mostly in Budgam district, during the polling in Srinagar constituency in which at least eight civilians and several others were injured in the clashes on April 9.