In First Election After Article 370 Move, BJP Trounced in Jammu and Kashmir

'The government may have decided to hold block development council polls in Jammu and Kashmir, but the election euphoria was missing completely. The only visible sign of voting were the heavily guarded polling booths. For the first time in its history, J&K witnessed elections for the constitution of block development councils (BDC) on Thursday. The electoral college for the polls comprised elected panches and sarpanches. According to the state election office, there was a 98% voter turnout. Barring the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) all other political forces in the state – National Conference, People’s Democratic Party and People’s Conference – boycotted the elections, citing the prevailing Kashmir situation. The boycott made the election a direct contest between BJP and independents, most of them with little influence. The election outcome has, however, left the right-wing party in “disbelief”, admitted a senior party member, particularly after it ran a campaign highlighting the reading down of Article 370 of the constitution as a “major achievement” to fully integrate J&K with India. Independent candidates swept the polls across the state, winning 217 of 307 panchayat blocks in all three regions of Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh...'