Defeats rival from her husband’s party, PDP, with support of Sajad Lone and Altaf Bukhari

Baramulla: Safeena Beigh, wife of former deputy chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Muzaffar Hussain Beigh, was elected chairperson of district development council (DDC) Baramulla on Saturday. People’s Conference (PC) candidate Sanullah Parray was elected vice chairperson.
Safeena Beigh won with the support of PC headed by Sajad Gani Lone and also the support of Apni Party headed by Altaf Bukhari. She defeated the candidate of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) Advocate Quratul Bashir.
Muzafar Hussain Beigh is officially associated with People’s Democratic Party (PDP), but Safeena contested in the elections as an independent.
Safeena secured ten votes while PDP candidate Advocate Quratul Bashir got only four votes.
The election for the vice chairperson was decided through a draw of lots because both the candidates, Sanullah Parray of People’s Conference and independent candidate lawyer Irfan Hafiz Lone, got seven votes each. Sonaullah Parray was declared as the lucky winner.
Officials said that PAGD won the election for chairperson in Bandipora district.
The PAGD is an amalgam of six parties, including the NC and the PDP, seeking the restoration of the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir which was revoked by the Centre in August 2019.
In Bandipora, the candidate of PAGD, Abdul Gani Bhat from the NC, was elected the chairperson, while Kaunsar Shafeeq of the PDP was elected as the vice-chairperson, the officials said.

Reader correspondent