National Conference, PDP attack Election Commission for deferring Anantnag-Rajouri poll

Our Correspondent

Srinagar, May 1

National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said the Election Commission of India’s move to defer poll for Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary seat was aimed at depriving nomadic communities of their right to vote.

Lok Sabha election in the redrawn Anantnag-Rajouri constituency was slated for May 7. However, the ECI rescheduled it for May 25 after receiving representations from several parties.

He was addressing a rally held jointly by NC and its coalition partner Congress in Dooru area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

“The ECI’s decision to reschedule elections is a brazen violation of power. It is clearly aimed to deprive the nomadic community of the Pir Panchal region of the right to vote,” Omar Abdullah said.

He said the decision was taken on the plea of parties like Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Peoples Conference (PC) who are not even contesting from this seat.

“We even wrote to the ECI that those who are seeking postponement of the elections are not in the fray but our pleas were overlooked. We even made it clear that Mughal road is not the only road that connects Kashmir with Rajouri-Poonch.”

“The road remains shut for six months. Does that mean you have an MP who can’t reach his constituency during this period? We often use Reasi and Jammu as alternative routes. Our party president Farooq Abdullah and contesting candidate Mian Altaf are already there campaigning,” Omar said.

He said when rain hit the region, they adopted silence but once the weather improved, they postponed the elections.

“This clearly indicates the nefarious designs of the BJP. They believe the nomadic community would migrate to plains of Kashmir before the polling date and won’t be able to exercise their ballot. But now I am sure they won’t move anywhere till they cast their vote and foil their ploy,” Omar said.

He alleged the BJP believes in divide and rule policy, but the NC and its cadre won’t give up and would continue to represent the aspirations of people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Jammu Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief GA Mir also addressed the gathering and appealed to his supporters to vote for the NC candidate.

Meanwhile, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday criticised the Election Commission of India (ECI) for deferring the polls on the Anantnag-Rajouri seat, accusing the Jammu and Kashmir administration of filing a “wrong” report to justify the postponement of the elections.

Mufti, who is the PDP candidate from the constituency, said these elections are a reply of the people to the Government of India that the decision taken by them to abrogate Article 370 and bifurcate the state into two Union Territories is not acceptable to them.

“They (ECI) extended the election date, making it difficult for me (to campaign). The poor (party) workers are paying from their pockets and campaigning for us. Now they will have to work for 25 more days,” Mufti told the people during a roadshow on the outskirts of Rajouri.

The PDP president, on the campaign trail in the Rajouri-Poonch belt which is a part of the Anantnag-Rajouri seat, questioned the officials, alleging they have not revealed why they delayed the election.

(With PTI inputs)

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