HC stays ‘controversial’ Larnoo-Anantnag DDC seat

SRINAGAR — Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Friday stayed the ‘controversial’ Larnoo District Development Council (DDC) seat in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district and restrained the recently declared winner through a recount from holding the office till the next date of hearing.

Justice Sanjay Dhar, while hearing a petition of PDP’s candidate Khalida Bibi through Z.A Shah challenging the previous re-counting of votes of 8-Larnoo Anantnag DDC constituency, ordered recently declared successful candidate through re-count Sajida Begum, to restrain from holding the office of member of DDC Anantnag.

Pertinently, the Larnoo DDC seat remained in headlines for its ‘controversy’ as the authorities had first declared the PDP candidate Khalida Bibi as winner by a margin of seven votes against her nearest rival Sajida Begum, who was contesting the election as an independent candidate.

After that Sajida Begum had approached the Additional Commissioner Kashmir with an appeal to recount all polled votes in the constituency following which Appellate authority, Additional Commissioner Kashmir, Bilal Ahmad Bhat had passed the instructions to DEO Anantnag to hold recount of votes in the said DDC seat.

Following the directives from AC Kashmir, DEO Anantnag on February 5 held a recount of votes in the constituency and had declared Sajida Begum as winner against Khalida Bibi by a margin of 61 votes.