Kashmir DDC Election 2020 Results: As the counting of votes for the recently concluded Jammu and Kashmir District Development Council has started for 280 seats, all eyes are on the performance of Bharatiya Janata Party which is looking to make inroads in the valley’s local administration.

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As per the early trends, the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) has taken a lead , while the Bharatiya Janata Party is following it, with Congress at the third spot. However, the trends are mercurial and a clear picture shall emerge only after a substantial number of votes are counted.

The counting of votes began at 9 am on Tuesday for the polls which took place in eight phases between November 28 and December 19.

Why are the DDC poll results significant this time?

The District Development Council elections are the first ever elections to be held in Jammu and Kashmir, after the revocation of Article 370, which did away with the special provisions of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the erstwhile state into two Union territories. The results therefore are being pitched as people’s referendum on the move of the Centre.

BJP Vs Gupkar Alliance:

The main contest is between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Gupkar Alliance which is an umbrella of six political parties-including the Abdullahs’ National Conference (NC) and Mufti’s Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP)-whose one common agenda is the restoration of Article 370. The Congress was initially a part of the PAGD but distanced itself from the alliance as the BJP targeted the opposition party for being in league with the 'Gupkar Gang'. Although the Congress went alone in the last seven phases, it is widely believed that it's understanding with the PAGD remains intact.