J&K polls: Three independents emerge victorious, four others leading

Jammu, Oct 8 (PTI) Three independent candidates have so far registered victory in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls, while four others are leading in various constituencies.

In Inderwal, independent candidate Payare Lal Sharma defeated veteran leader Gulam Mohammad Saroori by a narrow margin of 643 votes.

Sharma polled 14,195 votes, while Saroori, who was also contesting as an independent candidate, received 13,552 votes.

In Bani, independent candidate Dr. Rameshwar Singh defeated BJP candidate and former MLA Jewan Lal by 2,048 votes. Singh secured 18,672 votes, while Lal polled 16,624 votes.

In the Surankote assembly segment, independent candidate and National Conference rebel Choudhary Mohammad Akram defeated Congress candidate Mohammad Shahnawaz with a margin of 8,851 votes.

Akram polled 34,201 votes.

Besides them, four independent candidates — Satesh Sharma from Chhamb, Muzaffar Iqbal Khan from Thanamandi, Khursheed Ahmed Sheikh from Langate, and Shabir Ahmed from Shopian — are leading in their constituencies.

Counting of votes is underway in Jammu and Kashmir.