BSP loses all 83 seats in J-K

JAMMU: The BSP which had one seat in the last assembly in Jammu and Kashmir drew a blank this time, losing all the 83 seats it contested in the seven-phase polls.

The Vijaypur seat in Samba district, held by the party in the dissolved assembly, went to Surjit Singh Salatia of the National Conference which has emerged as the single largest party in the state.

BSP's Manjit Singh had won the seat in 2002 assembly polls.

"We did not expect this result. But we have to honour the verdict of the people. We fell a victim to the politics of region and religion", BSP General Secretary Narinder Kashyap told reporters.

In 1996 assembly elections, the BSP had fielded 29 candidates out of which four had won.