J&K DDC election results: Waheed-Ur-Rehman Para, jailed PDP leader, wins; 'couldn’t be prouder', says Mehbooba Mufti

Arrested PDP leader Waheed Para (Image: Twitter/ Waheed Ur Rehman)

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Waheed-Ur-Rehman Para on December 22 won the District Development Council (DDC) elections from the Pulwama-I constituency.

Para, the youth wing president of the PDP who contested elections for the first time, is in jail after being arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in November over his alleged involvement with the Hizbul Mujahideen.

Para, 32 bagged 1,323 votes while his rival candidate, Sajad Ahmad Raina of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), got 321 votes.

Para was in jail for six months after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. He was arrested again on November 25, after being charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) over alleged terror links, involving Davinder Singh, deputy superintendent of the Jammu and Kashmir Police.

A special judge of the NIA granted 30-day judicial custody to Para on December 19 after which he was shifted to Jammu’s Amphalla jail.

PDP chief and former chief minister of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti said she couldn’t be prouder of the PDP’s Para after his win.

Couldn’t be prouder of PDPs @parawahid who won his maiden election by a huge margin of votes. Despite being arrested on baseless charges right after filing his nomination people have shown their love & trust for Waheed. Hope justice prevails. pic.twitter.com/MOU8gNUOic

— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) December 22, 2020

Out of the 207 leads in the 280 seats, the Gupkar Alliance was ahead on 88 seats while the BJP is ahead on 46 seats in the first-ever DDC elections held in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Congress is leading on 21 seats, the Apni Party on eight seats, while others are ahead on 54 seats, as per the early trends.

The eight-phase DDC elections assume significance because these were the first electoral exercise held in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 and division of the erstwhile state into two Union territories on August 5 last year.

The mainstream political parties of Jammu and Kashmir including the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the National Conference (NC), the Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference (PC) and the Awami National Conference (ANC) contested the polls as the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) - a united front against the BJP to collectively fight for the restoration of Article 370.