Challenging the PAGD’s assertion that the people have spoken out against the abrogation of Article 370 in the DDC polls, Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Wednesday said the BJP and Independents got over 52 per cent votes which shows that the Gupkar alliance has been rejected.
Noting that the BJP has emerged as the single-largest party and its vote share is more than the Gupkar alliance, he
claimed that those who were happy with the scrapping of Article 370 voted for the BJP and the Independents.
“If you put the BJP and Independents vote share together, it makes over 52 percent votes. This shows J-K people have rejected the Gupkar Gang,” he said.
The people of Jammu and Kashmir have spoken out against separatism and militancy and voted in favour of democracy and nationalism, the BJP leader, who was actively involved in the campaign, said.
“As in different states where parties ganged up against the BJP and Modi ji, such a gang was given the name of Gupkar here. But they have together failed to dent the BJP,” Thakur told reporters here.
As “in UP, Bihar and Hyderabad, in J-K too we were successful,” Thakur said, dismissing the “claims of victory” of the National Conference and the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) in the polls.
Thakur said that BJP got the highest vote share of “38.74 percent in these elections, which recorded over 51 polling”.
“The vote share of the entire Gupkar gang is 32.96 percent. If you calculate the votes, BJP polled 4,87,364 votes while the votes of NC, PDP and Congress put together were 4.77 lakh,” he said, adding the BJP emerged as the single largest party in the election.
“The PDP, whose president Mehbooba Mufti was saying no one will take tricolour in their hands in Kashmir, has got just 4.4 percent vote share in these elections, while Congress’ vote share has gone down to 11 percent,” he added.
He also asked Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to tell the people whether they are with the Gupkar alliance or not.
He said Independents who “also fought” the Gupkar alliance have won more seats than the Congress and the PDP, and have got 13.06 percent votes.
The PAGD had fought the election on the plank of restoration of pre-August 5, 2019 status.
“This shows that people have supported the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They have faith in his leadership. The people of J&K said no to terrorism and separatism and have taken the path of nationalism. They rejected bombs and guns and voted for democracy and ballots,” Thakur said.
Referring to Srinagar results, he said seven seats were bagged by independents and one seat went to the BJP.
“The NC and the PDP got just one seat each in Srinagar and the Gupkar gang bagged just three seats,” he said.
He said the BJP did not do its best in the Jammu region but at the same time won three seats in the Kashmir region, he added.
These polls have given an opportunity to the new faces in politics to take Jammu and Kashmir on the path of development and prosperity, he said.
Asked whether the BJP will try to stake a claim in various districts where more Independents have been elected, Thakur said that BJP would form committees there along with its supporters.