J&K polls: NC-Cong alliance crosses halfway mark

Jammu/Srinagar, Oct 8 (PTI) The National Conference-Congress alliance is likely to form government in Jammu and Kashmir with poll trends on Tuesday showing the combine ahead in 51 of the 90 seats while the BJP was leading in 26.

Trends uploaded by the Election Commission showed that the PDP was ahead in five seats in the Union territory while the Independents are leading on seven seats.

The National Conference was leading in 41 while its ally Congress was ahead in 10 seats, the trends showed.

As the trends showed the NC ahead of its rivals, NC vice president Omar Abdullah asserted there should be no “fiddling” with the mandate of the people in Jammu and Kashmir.

“Transparency should be there. Whatever happens should be done in a transparent manner. There should be no fiddling with the peoples’ mandate. If the mandate of the people is against the BJP, then the BJP should not indulge in any ‘jugaad’ (machinations) or something else,” Abdullah told reporters here.

“The Raj Bhavan and the Centre should accept the decision of people the way we did in the Parliamentary polls,” Abdullah told reporters here.

Prominent among those leading are Omar Abdullah, Pradesh Congress president Tariq Hameed Karra, AICC general secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir, CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami and BJP’s former minister Sham Lal Sharma and Devender Singh Rana.

However, Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina is trailing in the Nowshera assembly constituency, while former Deputy chief minister and Congress candidate Tara Chand is behind his rivals in the Chhamb seat.

Former J-K Congress Chief Vikar Rasool Wani is also trailing from Banihal.

In the Banihal segment, former Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress president Vikar Rasool Wani is trailing NC candidate Sajad Saheen, who has polled 15,809 votes. Wani has got 9,885 votes.

Former MP and Congress candidate Choudhary Lal Singh is trailing the BJP’ Darshan Lal in the Basholi seat.

Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (India) president Harsh Dev Singh is trailing by a margin of 8,863 against BJP candidate and his cousin Balwant Singh Mankotia in the Chenani seat.

BJP candidate Shagun Parihar is leading over her nearest rival and NC candidate Sajjad Kitchloo in the Kishtwar seat. She has polled 5,899 votes.

The counting of votes began at 8 am at 28 counting centres for the 90 seats of Jammu and Kashmir assembly which went to polls in three phases.