Mayoral elections: It’s a battle between secular and communal forces: JKPCC
Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) Friday said the election to the post of mayor and deputy mayor of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) is a battle between secular and communal forces.
“The Congress has emerged as the single largest party in the elections to the SMC held last month. Make no mistake, it is a battle between the Congress-led secular front and the communal forces sponsored by the RSS and the BJP,” JKPCC president G A Mir told reporters here.
Friday was the last day for filing of nominations for the post of mayor and deputy mayor of the SMC with polling scheduled to be held on November 6.
Mir expressed confidence that the Congress candidate will be the next mayor of the SMC as the party has received “overwhelming support from the independent secular minded corporators”.
Mir said that its elected councilor from Batamaloo Ghulam Rasool Hajjam will be party’s candidate for the post of Mayor and party’s independent associate Sheikh Imran would be Deputy Mayor of Srinagar Municipal Corporation.
“Ghulam Rasool Hajjam the congress candidate for the post of Mayor Srinagar Municipal Corporation has won by a margin of 2000 votes from a Batamaloo ward and party’s independent associate Sheikh Imran would be Congress backed candidate for the post of Deputy Mayor,” Mir added.
The election for the post of Mayor and Deputy Mayor is scheduled to be held on November 6 i.e Tuesday next week.
Earlier in a presser, the state Congress chief, G A Mir claimed the support of maximum number of independent candidates who emerged as winner in the recently held ULB polls.
The JKPCC chief said that the maximum number of independent councilors have extended their support to congress.
He also criticised the move of the state government to amend the Municipal law by bringing an ordinance that would allow secret ballot for the election to these posts.
“Why has the amendment been brought in for the last phase of election? They should have done it before the urban local bodies elections were notified,” Mir said.
“There is a process of secret ballot in the Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council in the state where the voter has to show his vote to the agent of the candidate he is voting for. The same process should be used for this election as well,” he added.
Mir condemned the killing of BJP leader Anil Parihar and his brother Ajeet Parihar by suspected militants in Kishtiwar district of the state Thursday night, saying no innocent should lose his life under any circumstances.
KV News
