As the counting of votes for municipal polls gathers momentum in Jammu and Kashmir, one question that has aroused curiosity across the state is who will become the Mayor of the prestigious Srinagar city due to the boycott of the polls by the NC and the PDP over Article 35A row.
Both the Congress and the BJP, which has won several wards unopposed due to the boycott, have claimed they will win enough seats to stake the claim for the post of Mayor in Srinagar. However, Sajad Lone of Peoples Conference (PC), an ally of the BJP, in a recent tweet declared that the Mayor for Srinagar will be from the PC. “All set, inshallah, to have the first mayor from PC. Expecting very good results. Time to give Srinagar what it deserves. A set of hardworking people who work there on the ground,” Lone wrote on Twitter.
Earlier, the BJP's state president Ravinder Raina had made a similar claim. “This time, lotus will not only bloom in Jammu but in Kashmir as well,'' Raina told reporters in Jammu. ''BJP will have its Mayors in both capital cities.”
The Congress also has sounded positive about bagging the post of Mayor in Srinagar. The party has fielded candidates in 66 of the 74 wards in Srinagar Municipal Corporation.
Junaid Mattoo, who quit the NC on the eve of municipal polls to contest the polls, is believed to be a front-runner for the Mayor's post. Mattoo contested the polls as an independent. There are reports that he might be joining the PC after results are out.
Governor Satya Pal Malik, in an interview, had also hinted at Mattoo becoming the Mayor of Srinagar when, as per his information, Srinagar is getting a foreign-educated young person for the role. This had led to allegations of favouritism against Malik.
The Raj Bhawan, however, was quick to clarify that the elections were being conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner, and the outcome of the polls would be in the hands of the people.
Independents will play a major role in the selection of the Mayor if the BJP, Congress, and PC do not get enough seats to stake claim for the Mayorship of the city. There are also reports that the independents could form their own party to keep the post of Mayor with them.
