Three members of a Kashmiri Pandit family were elected uncontested for the Shopian municipality.
Ashok Kumar Bali, his wife Sushma and younger brother Rajinder Kumar, who had filed their nomination papers on BJP ticket for Ward 8, 7, and 3 respectively, have been elected uncontested.
Ganga, the wife of Rajinder Kumar, had also filed nomination papers but her papers were rejected during scrutiny.
When asked if the chairman would be among them, Bali replied the decision lies with the party.
The 58-year-old Bali, an electrician by profession, said he contested the elections as he wanted to return to the Valley and serve his own people.
“In these elections, I see a window of opportunity to return to my homeland and work for my own people,” Bali said over phone from Jammu.
He also said that despite putting up in Jammu he was always connected with the people of his native place.
About the grim situation of Kashmir, Bali said that he did not see militancy a reason to prevent him from working for the development
Bali’s wife Sushma Bali who was elected from ward number 7 said that she along with her family would soon return to Kashmir to work for the place that she had left some 28 years ago.
“I am very excited to re-connect with my own people through these elections,” she said.