Srinagar: The PDP on Tuesday said the decision of Election Commission to postpone the polling in Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat to May 25 was “another travesty of free exercise of franchise” in Jammu and Kashmir.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti is among the candidates contesting the elections from the constituency.
The party was reacting to the EC’s decision to postpone polling in the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat from May 7 to May 25 due to logistic issues.
“This is yet another travesty of free exercise of franchise in J-K that has lost generations in pursuit of democratic rights. This decision to pander to the bonsai parties planted post-August 2019 is fraught with immense dangers. It’s a repeat of the disastrous 1987 election fraud,” senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar posted on X.
PDP Spokesperson Mohit Bhan in a post on X wrote: “The sheer nervousness of Delhi after witnessing overwhelming support of people towards Ms.Mufti has forced them to change the election date & facilitate the proxy parties of BJP to do the murky business in the electoral process. We witnessed in a video ( which we submitted to the ECI with a complaint ) how Pahari community voters were threatened not to vote Ms.Mufti & if they do so they will face the action as was done in 1947. The memories of 1987 are fresh when the popular mandate was silenced and Jammu and Kashmir including the country was pushed into a dark era of death and destruction weakening the democratic structure and paving way for a prolonged insecure border resulting a volatile atmosphere. Denying procedural space to people to exercise their franchise after gerrymandering the entire constituency shows how Delhi is aware of people’s mood and their failed narrative of Naya Kashmir.”
The sheer nervousness of Delhi after witnessing overwhelming support of people towards Ms.Mufti has forced them to change the election date & facilitate the proxy parties of BJP to do the murky business in the electoral process.
We witnessed in a video ( which we submitted to… pic.twitter.com/Kketg1bkXL
— Mohit Bhan موہت بھان (@buttkout) April 30, 2024
The Commission’s decision comes after several leaders including Jammu and Kashmir BJP unit chief Ravinder Raina, Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari, People’s Conference leader Imran Ansari and others had approached the Election Commission requesting for rescheduling of polls to the seat due to adverse weather condition.
The Election Commission had asked the Jammu and Kashmir administration to immediately submit a detailed report on road conditions, weather and accessibility to the region which covers parts of South Kashmir and areas in Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu region.
Earlier, Mehbooba Mufti took to social media to urge the EC to hold elections as per schedule.
“Is this why BJP wants to defer the Anantnag – Rajouri election so that its leaders can openly threaten violence against Paharis to force them to vote for the Apni party or else they will create communal tension reminiscent of the 1947 partition?” she said and posted a video of a BJP leader.
Mufti asked the Election Commission to take note of the incident and ensure peaceful elections.
