Alleging that the ongoing polling for the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency was being rigged, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, who is also a candidate for the seat, sat on dharna outside the police station at Bijbehara in Anantnag saying that her polling agents have been detained by the police and the outgoing call service on her mobile number has been suspended without any explanation.

On the other hand, brisk polling was being witnessed across the constituency where 23.34 per cent votes were cast till 11 am, said the election office. The constituency witnessed only about 8.89 per cent polling in the 2019 election. Tight security arrangements have been made with the deployment of Army, security forces and police for conduct of a peaceful polling.

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Mehbooba told media persons that she was not able to make any calls from her mobile phone since morning. All this was being done on the orders of the top functionaries in J&K, she alleged.

Mehbooba is contesting the election against the National Conference candidate Mian Altaf and BJP backed Apni Party’s Zafar Iqbal Manhas although there are a total number of 20 candidates in the fray.

The PDP chief on Friday wrote to the Election Commission that the party’s polling agents and workers have been detained by the police ahead of the polling for the Anantnag-Rajouri seat.

The Anantnag Police, however, claimed that detentions are very few and restricted only to those with a tainted past, based on credible inputs of potential threats to law and order and security on polling day.

“Claims were made by a political party that their workers have been detained. Firstly, detentions are very few & restricted only to those who have a tainted past and based on credible inputs of potential threats to law and order & security on polling day. Mostly they are OGWS & are taken into preventive custody for ensuring a safe & peaceful election,” the Anantnag Police wrote on X.

A senior PDP leader and former minister, Naeem Akhtar said that voting has deliberately been slowed down to keep Mehbooba Mufti away from Parliament.

The Anantnag- Rajouri constituency recorded 8.98 per cent voting up to 9 am. Polling took off with enthusiasm at the designated time in the sixth and last phase of Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
Early reports indicated a substantial presence of voters thronging and queuing in the polling stations in all the assembly segments of the Lok Sabha constituency.