SRINAGAR, NOV 06 (PTK): Former National Conference spokesperson Junaid Azim Mattu was elected as Mayor of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC).
Junaid Azim Mattu, councillor from ward No. 14, 18 and 65, had filed his nomination for election to the post of Mayor as the candidate of Peoples’ Conference.
Mattu required 35 votes to be a mayor of the SMC. Reports said Mattu got 40 votes while his close rival got 26 votes. Four votes were declared invalid.
Commissioner of the civic body Peer Hafizullah confirmed the same. Mattu had resigned from the primary membership of the NC in the month of September after the party decided not to contest the urban local body polls. This decision was taken and was to be maintained until the Centre made clear its position on Article 35A of the Constitution, which has been challenged before the Supreme Court.
Mattu contested the SMC election as an independent candidate from four wards. He won from three of the wards and was announced as the mayoral candidate by Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Gani Lone hours after the election results were declared on October 20. It must be noted that Mattu’s election as Mayor of the SMC was clouded by remarks of J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik during an interview to a private TV channel last month.
Malik had pointed out that Srinagar was getting a “foreign educated mayor” which would create a sense of unsteadiness among the regional parties such as the NC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which did not take part in the elections.
Congress emerged as the single largest party in the SMC with 16 seats but fell short of 38, the number of seats required to take control of the corporation. While the Peoples Conference had four, the BJP had five candidates elected to the corporation. There were at least 53 Independent corporators.
Meanwhile Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary Ram Madhav congratulated former National Conference (NC) spokesman Junaid Azmi Mattu for being elected as the mayor of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC).
The BJP general secretary took to Twitter to congratulate Mattu and his mentor Sajad Gani Lone over the SMC top post.
“Junaid Mattoo, independent supported by Sajjad Lone’s People’s Conference and BJP has won d Mayor post of Srinagar. He polled against d combined candidate of PDP, NC and Congress by 40 votes to 26 votes. Congrats Junaid and Sajjad n all Corporators,” Madhav wrote in his Twitter handle. (PTK)
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