DDC poll results: BJP wins any seat in Kashmir for first time
Srinagar, Dec 22: The BJP on Tuesday won an election for the first time from any seat in Kashmir while facing regional heavyweights like the National Conference and the PDP.
Aijaz Hussain won the Khonmoh-II District Development Council seat in Srinagar, while Aijaz Ahmad Khan gave the party more reason to cheer by winning the Tulail seat in Bandipora district.
Crediting the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hard work of party workers for his success, Hussain said the DDC election was a fight between the BJP and rest of the parties.
"This is a win for the BJP. The propaganda has been bust as people have shown their faith in the prime minister and his policies. This is a message that nationalists are prospering in Kashmir," he told reporters outside the counting centre at SKICC here.
Senior BJP leader and Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi had campaigned for the BJP candidate in the predominantly Shia area of Balahama in the Srinagar district periphery.
Hussain said the BJP has put up a good fight against the regional parties in the valley who had come together on a single platform -- Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration.
"They all came together against the BJP as they were afraid of it. But, still the BJP won seats from the valley. Now, they should introspect. People want development and this is a vote for development," he said.
The BJP candidate said the alliance was "spreading communal propaganda", but this win "shows there is no place for that now".
"People want development and this win inspires us to work harder for securing seats in the assembly whenever the elections are held in the future," Hussain said.
The counting for the DDC polls has been completed in Srinagar with the independent candidates winning half of the seats.
"The returning officers in Srinagar district have declared the results of District Development Council elections in all the 14 constituencies and handed over election certificates to winning candidates," District Election Officer (Deputy Commissioner) Srinagar, Shahid Choudhary said.
He said as per the final results, independent candidates have been declared winners in seven constituencies -- Srinagar-I, Qamarwari-I, Qamarwari-II, Harwan-I, Harwan-II, Harwan-IV and Harwan-VI.
Former finance minister Altaf Bukhari-led Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) candidates were declared winners in three constituencies -- Harwan-V, Khanmoh-I and Srinagar-III.
Four political parties-- BJP in Khanmoh-II, PDP in Khanmoh-III, NC in Harwan-III and JKPM in Srinagar II have won one seat each, Choudhary said.
He said the results of the four seats of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) ward constituencies were also declared.
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India-bound LPG tanker clears Hormuz
New Delhi (PTI): A tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for India has sailed out of the Strait of Hormuz and is now headed towards the country, an official statement said on Sunday.
The Marshall Islands-flagged LPG carrier MT Sarv Shakti, loaded with 46,313 tonnes of LPG and staffed by 20 crew, including 18 Indians, cleared the key shipping chokepoint on May 2 and is expected to reach Visakhapatnam on May 13, it said.
The cargo -- enough to meet half a days requirement of the country -- will partly tide over supply constraints being faced since the start of the West Asia conflict more than two months back.
Ship-tracking data showed its position in Oman Gulf on Sunday evening.
The very large gas carrier has previously made runs between the Persian Gulf and Indian ports, has been chartered by state-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).
Sarv Shakti is the first India-linked tanker to cross the war zone since a weeks-old US blockade of ships tied to Iran began, pushing transits through Hormuz back down to almost zero.
There are as many as 14 Indian flagged or India-owned vessels still stranded on the west side of the Strait of Hormuz.
The statement said no incident involving Indian-flagged vessels has been reported in the past 24 hours. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is working closely with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian missions and maritime stakeholders to ensure crew welfare and uninterrupted operations.
The Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) control room has handled 8,373 calls and more than 17,965 emails since activation, including 38 calls and 127 emails in the last 24 hours.
India has also facilitated the repatriation of more than 2,953 seafarers so far, including 31 in the past day from across the Gulf region.
Port operations across the country remain normal with no congestion reported, the statement added.
