Anantnag, June 4: Setting out from their homes in Rajouri at the daybreak, a caravan of buses filled with supporters of Mian Altaf Ahmad Larvi, the National Conference (NC) candidate from the newly-carved out Anantnag-Rajouri seat showed up in Khanabal area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district at around 11 am.
As soon as they heard about Altaf inching towards the victory, the group felt on cloud nine with many unknotting their poly bags and taking out the garlands in their hands.
The group waited outside the Government Degree College Boys, which housed the counting hall.
“We are very happy to see our leader securing victory,” said Bashir Ahmad of Kalakote.
Bashir said that during the campaigning trail, they ensured that people from the community turned to polling stations to vote in favour of Mian Altaf.
Sporting a turban, Farooq Ahmad, another member of the community said, “Our leader won despite efforts made to defeat him by deferring the polls.”
The community members garlanded their leader as he showed up outside the venue.
Farooq said that due to the postponement of polls, thousands of people from the nomadic Bakerwal community could not cast their ballot as they had returned to alpines.
Meanwhile, a celebratory mood was witnessed in the neighbouring Pulwama district with jubilant supporters of NC bursting firecrackers to celebrate the victory of Main Altaf.