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NC rout, clean sweep by PDP

KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 5/17/2014 12:18:47 AM

Mehbooba, Qarra, Beig victorious; Farooq defeated

SRINAGAR, May 16: Dr Farooq Abdullah led-National Conference today suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as the latter recorded a historic win with a clean sweep in Kashmir valley in parliamentary elections. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, Tariq Hamid Qarra and Muzaffar Hussain Beig emerged victorious in all the three Lok Sabha seats by defeating their NC rivals by huge margins despite violence and boycott of polls in Kashmir.
Dr Farooq Abdullah defeat in Srinagar parliamentary constituency at the hands of Tariq Hamid Qarra proved to be shocker for the National Conference. This was the first major defeat for Dr Abdullah in his more than 32 years of active political career in Kashmir politics. It was also the first time that the National Conference got out for a duck in the Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir. The party that decided to contest elections in alliance with Congress fielded only three candidates for the three seats from the Valley and lost all three. The NC’s alliance partner, Congress, received a similar drubbing in both the seats from Jammu as well as one from Ladakh.
This is also for the first time since 1977 that the NC lost the Srinagar parliamentary seat. This was the first election defeat to Dr Abdullah in his political career since 1982. NC president had recently described the Lok Sabha polls as semi final match before the final match ( assembly polls, due after some months). The debacle of NC is going to badly affect the party in the assembly polls. PDP not only consolidated its position in south Kashmir but also made inroads into the stronghold pockets of NC in central and north Kashmir also.
Qarra defeated Dr Abdullah with a margin of 42,280 votes. The PDP candidate bagged 1,57,923 votes while NC candidate polled 1,15,643.
In Anantnag constituency, Mehbooba Mufti defeated NC candidate Mehboob Beg with a margin of 65417 votes. Mehbooba got 200429 and Beg bagged 135012
In Baramulla-Kupwara, PDP’s candidate Muzaffar Hussain Beig defeated NC’s Shariefuddin Shariq with a margin of 29,884 votes. Beig got 1,760537 and Shariq polled 1,46,169 votes. In this north Kashmir Parliamentary constituency Peoples Conference candidate Salam-ud-din Bajad got 71,154 votes where as MLA Langate Er Sheikh Abdul Rashid secured 22,090 votes.
Among the 15 assembly segments in Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency, PDP got more votes than NC in 12 segments. NC obtained more votes than PDP in three segments- Khanyar, Habbakadal and Amirakadal. Interestingly, in the eight assembly segments in Srinagar city which are being represented by NC MLAs, PDP got more votes than NC in five segments- Hazratbal, Eidgah, Sonawar, Batamaloo and Zadibal, ringing alarm bells in the ruling party camp.
PDP also got more votes than NC in Ganderbal assembly constituency, being represented by chief minister Omar Abdullah. Dr Abdullah got lesser votes than Qarra in Chrar-e-Sharief, Budgam, and Kangan assembly segments represented by NC in the lower house of the state legislature. Khan Sahib assembly segment, represented by independent, Hakim Mohammad Yasin, also witnessed a lead by PDP.
It was clean sweep by Mehbooba in all the 16 assembly segments in Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency- Tral, Pampore, Pulwama, Rajpora, Wachi, Shopian, Noorabad, Kulgam, Homshaliubgh, Anantnag, Devsar, Dooru, Kokernag, Shangus, Bijbehara and Pahalgam. Two assembly segments Dooru and Kokernag are represented by Congress, where as Noorabad by NC and Kulgam by CPI(M). Rest of the constituencies are represented by PDP in assembly. Even Noorabad, wherefrom NC was expecting a huge lead, disappointed the ruling party today.
In Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency, out of the 15 assembly segments, PDP candidate got more votes in 11 segments- Baramulla, Gulmarg, Pattan,Karnah, Kupwara, Lolab, Rafiabad, Sopore, Bandipora, Sonawari and Sangrama.
NC got a lead over PDP in Handwara, Uri and Gurez. In Langate, Engineer Rashid got more votes than PDP and NC candidate. He represents the constituency in the assembly.
This is for the second time that Mehbooba was elected from Anantnag Lok Sabha seat. PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had also emerged victorious once in the past.
This is the maiden victory of Qarra and Beig in Lok Sabha polls. Qarra is a former finance minister, while Beig is former deputy chief minister.