JKNPP routed in JK polls

Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) has been routed in the Jammu and Kashmir polls as all its three MLAs lost their seats in Samba and Udhampur districts.
Three-time MLA and former minister Harsh Dev Singh lost to BJP candidate R S Pathania in Ramnagar Assembly segment of Udhampur district by a margin of 17,420 votes.
Singh, who represented the constituency for 18 years, polled 28,471 votes and Pathania got 45,891 votes.
Harsh had won the seat in 1996, 2002 and 2008 polls in Jammu and Kashmir and served as the education minister in Mufti Sayeed government in 2002.

Party's two-time MLA and former minister Yash Paul Kundal also lost to BJP candidate Devinder Kumar Manyal by 22,118 votes in Samba Assembly segment.
Kundal polled 11,957 votes and Manyal got 34,075 votes.

Kundal had bagged the seat in 2002 and 2008 Assembly elections and became the Minister of State in the Mufti Sayeed Government.
Party's another two-time MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia lost to Independent candidate Pawan Gupta by a margin of 14,650 votes. Balwant polled 21,576 votes and Pawan got 36,226 votes. Balwant had won Udhampur seat in 2002 and 2008 elections. Balwant is the president of JKNPP.
JKNPP was a coalition partner of Congress-PDP government in J&K from 2002 to 2008.

JKNPP had got three seats in 2008 and four seats in 2002.