A day ahead of polling for the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, the National Conference (NC), PDP, Apni Party, and Peoples Conference (PC) accused the police of having unleashed an atmosphere of fear by detaining their party activists and expressed fear of rigging the elections.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and NC candidate Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi have written letters to the Election Commission seeking its intervention for maintaining integrity and impartiality of the democratic process. Ruhullah also named some of the NC activists detained by the police.
The Apni Party led by Altaf Bukhari and the Peoples Conference of former separatist Sajad Lone have been labelled as “B-teams of BJP” by the NC and PDP. Both parties. Both parties have also voiced concerns regarding the detention of their members.
Mehbooba wrote to the ECI that “the situation has escalated to a point where the security establishment is instilling a climate of fear in areas slated for election on May 13. This appears to be a direct result of public threats made by the Apni Party which has openly called for the arrest of PDP supporters”.
“It is distressing to witness history repeating itself, reminiscent of the 1987 rigged elections that caused immense suffering and political disillusionment in the region. The blatant efforts to marginalise the PDP, which represents the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, only serve to deepen wounds and erode trust in democratic institutions”, she wrote.
The PDP candidate for Srinagar, Waheed Para, tagging the Election Commission, the PMO and the Home Minister, alleged on X: “A senior police officer was directing officials to minimise voter turnout by detaining and harassing our workers.”
Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari expressed serious concerns over the arrest spree of party workers and agents ahead of polling and termed it a blatant attempt to manipulate elections.
He appealed to Lt Governor Manoj Sinha to intervene in the matter and pave the way for free and fair elections so that democracy flourishes in the region.
Speaking to media persons in Srinagar, Bukhari accused the NC and PDP of being hand in glove with the administration to harass workers and polling agents of rival political parties. He said the NC and PDP have deep connections in the administration who on the behest of influential officials are curtailing the level playing field to other parties.
PC leader Sajad Lone, who is contesting the election in Baramulla, endorsed Bukhari and said party workers are being picked up on flimsy grounds.
Meanwhile, in a statement, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of J&K said: “On social media, there have been some grievances of alleged intimidation of political workers of certain parties and the use of Section 144 Order.”
“The Election Commission of India has taken cognisance of the matter. The CEO has talked personally to political leaders. He has clarified that as per rules, orders under Section 144 have been issued in all districts, for the last 48 hours (silence period of campaigning) and accordingly these orders were issued in Udhampur and Jammu Parliamentary Constituency and are now issued for all districts of the Srinagar Parliamentary Constituency, including Pulwama,” he added.