Lone’s candidate Mattu elected Srinagar Mayor with BJP support

SRINAGAR: The Peoples Conference candidate Junaid Azim Mattu has been elected Mayor of Srinagar Municipal Corporation while Congress-backed independent candidate Sheikh Imran was elected deputy Mayor.

Mattu, who deserted National Conference in September to fight urban local bodies elections, termed his win as a change in traditional politics and accused NC and People’s Democratic Party, which boycotted the elections, of fielding proxy candidates and also interfering in mayoral elections.

Mattu bagged 40 votes against 26 for Congress’ GR Hajam. Four votes were found invalid. PC claims that 22 corporators fought on its symbol and it managed the support of 18 independents. For deputy mayor, Imran, an independent corporator backed by Congress won by one vote. Imran bagged 35 votes while as his rival bagged 34.


“This is one of the happiest days of my life. We defeated NC and PDP and Congress. They tried the traditional methods to influence the outcome but the results are now out in open,” PC chairman Sajad Gani Lone told ET, after the results were announced. Lone said the first PC mayor heralds the formal arrival of PC on the scene of pro-election block, which was otherwise dominated by the NC and PDP.

“PC is the third regional party and will usher an era of change,” Lone told ET.