Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Sunday hailed the Jammu and Kashmir elections as a vote for national integration and democracy.
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While the prime minister said the vote was for national integration and democracy, Sonia said the election was a 'lesson to be learnt by our neighbours', an apparent reference to Pakistan.
"It does not matter who wins; what matters is the people of the Valley, people of Jammu and people of Jammu and Kashmir have expressed their faith in the democratic system. It is a lesson to be learnt by our neighbours," Sonia told media persons on the sidelines of the Congress Foundation Day celebrations in New Delhi.
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Dr Singh, who was also present at the celebration said, "The large turnout is a vote for democracy. It is a vote for national integration. Therefore, we are all happy."
The beaming Congress president added, "From the very beginning, I wanted the election to be held on time. I am glad that it has."