PC’s Junaid Matoo elected Srinagar Mayor with BJP support, Cong backed Imran elected Dy Mayor

Srinagar : Junaid Mattu the BJP backed Peoples’ Conference candidate for the election of Mayor was on Tuesday elected Mayor of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) and Sheikh Imran the Congress backed Independent candidate for the post of Deputy Mayor was elected Deputy Mayor SMC.
Officials said that Mattu polled 40 out of total 70 votes in the election held at SMC office in Karan Nagar. His nearest rival got 26 votes while four were declared invalid.
Sheikh Imran, an independent corporator backed by Congress was elected Deputy Mayor SMC. Officials said that Imran was declared Dy Mayor who has won the Dy Mayor elections by one vote.
Sheikh Imran has bagged 35 votes while as his rival has bagged 34, officials said, adding that the one vote was rejected during the elections for Dy Mayor.
Mattu, who was a former spokesman of Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, had filed his nomination for the top post in SMC as the candidate of Peoples Conference.
He had contested the polls from ward No. 14, 18 and 65 of the SMC.
Shortly after the election results, Peoples Conference Chairman Sajad Gani Lone in a tweet expressed satisfaction and said that PC Mayoral candidate registered victory. He tagged belligerent PDP leader Imran Raza Ansari, Junaid Azim Matoo and BJP leader Ram Madhav in his tweet.
BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav in a tweet while congratulating Junaid Azam Matoo said “Junaid Mattoo, independent supported by Sajjad Lone’s People’s Conference and BJP has won the Mayor post of Srinagar. He polled against the combined candidate of PDP, NC and Congress by 40 votes to 26 votes. Congrats Junaid and Sajjad and all Corporators”.
Junaid Azam Matoo hails from Barzulla area of Srinagar city. He first joined Peoples Conference and defected to National Conference few years back but returned to Peoples’ Conference to participate in recently held municipal elections after quitting National Conference.