J&K DDC polls: Gupkar alliance ahead, BJP opens account in Kashmir

In the latest leads, the Gupkar alliance is ahead in 108 seats; the BJP is leading in 60 seats.

The Farooq Abdullah-led People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration is heading for a big victory in the first local polls in Jammu and Kashmir since it lost its special status and was turned into a Union Territory last year. In the first-ever District Development Council (DDC) polls in J&K, regional parties surged ahead in Kashmir while the BJP kept an upper hand in the Jammu region.

In the latest leads, the Gupkar alliance — a grouping of seven mainstream J&K-based parties, including rivals National Conference and Mehbooba Mufti’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP) — is ahead in 108 seats; the BJP is leading