Jammu, February 25
Notwithstanding delay in the official announcement the National Conference has bagged the Jammu Lok Sabha seat by dethroning the BJP which had won the seat in the 1998 and 1999 poll.
The Chief Election Commissioner has taken cognisance of the protest lodged by the BJP and the Congress and hence directed the Chief Electoral Officer not to make official announcement till the matter was settled. In this connection the Assistant Returning Officer for Rajouri was summoned by the Election Commission today and he left for Delhi by air this afternoon.
Informed sources in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer said even if the Chief Election Commissioner ordered invalidating over 10,000 votes in some polling booths in Rajouri and Darhal still the NC candidate will win with a comfortable margin.
After the counting of votes in the Darhal and Rajouri Assembly segments was completed last night, the counting had been suspended following strong protest lodged by the BJP, the Congress and the PDP over alleged rigging, the National Conference candidate, Mr Talib Hussain had secured 2,53,885 votes, followed by 1,98,277 by the BJP and 1,86,049 by the Congress. This way the National Conference has won by a margin of 55,608 votes.
Interestingly people did not respond to the call for Jammu bandh given by the BJP, the Congress and the PDP for Monday. Shops remained open and passenger transport was normal.
However, workers and leaders, including candidates of the BJP and the Congress staged dharnas at a number of places in the city. They blocked traffic and were forcing shopkeepers to close their establishments. The police took more than 50 political activists, including Mr Madan Lal Sharma, the Congress candidate and Dr Nirmal Singh the BJP candidate, into preventive
custody.
