BJP wins 60 seats unopposed in Kashmir civic polls as NC, PDP boycott

The BJP is likely to take charge of at least seven municipal committees in the Kashmir Valley without a contest, a first in Jammu and Kashmir’s electoral history. At least 60 of its candidates have been elected unopposed after the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party boycotted the urban local body polls in protest against what they described as the Centre’s plan to scrap the state’s special status.

Where the BJP gained

Most of the unopposed wins are in south Kashmir, where only four of 20 municipalities across five districts are likely to see voting. The municipalities expected to be headed by BJP members are Devsar, Qazigund, Pahalgam and Ashmuqam in the south, and Shopian and Sopore in the north. Of 78 uncontested wards, 30 are in south Kashmir, 24 in central Kashmir and 15 in the north.

BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur said in Srinagar on Tuesday that the party had 350 candidates in 600 wards across 10 districts of the Valley, and that six of the 60 unopposed winners were Kashmiri Pandits. He said the polls were a first step towards restoring the rule of law and strengthening grassroots democracy.

A senior Congress leader said fear following a series of mysterious killings meant the party could not find candidates in and around Sopore, which a Congress MLA represents.

A former militant on the ballot

On 29 September, the BJP chose Farooq Ahmad Khan, alias Saifulla, a former militant who returned under the 2010 rehabilitation policy of the Omar Abdullah government, as its candidate from old Srinagar city. He said returnees had faced great hardship and that problems could be solved only by engaging with politics.

Security and schedule

The polls will be held in four phases on 8, 10, 13 and 16 October, with 16,97,291 voters eligible across around 1,145 wards. Hizbul Mujahideen has threatened acid attacks on candidates, and many candidates from south Kashmir were housed in Srinagar hotels by the administration. The government has also promised life insurance cover for candidates. The state has 79 municipal bodies: two corporations, six councils and 71 committees.

What happened next

In August 2019 Parliament ended Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 and reorganised the state into two union territories.

See also: Bharatiya Janata Party and Elections.

Originally published on 3 October 2018. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us