Srinagar: A day before elections commence in the Srinagar parliamentary seat, the main contesting parties have flagged the alleged "enforcement of election boycott and arrests of party workers".
National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party and Apni Party have accused the police of arresting and detaining their workers in the Srinagar parliamentary seat. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has shot a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner of India imploring for immediate and decisive action to thwart any attempts at election rigging.
"It has come to my attention that the state administration, under the control of the Union government, is shamelessly engaged in activities aimed at intimidating voters and supporters of the People's Democratic Party. I am deeply troubled by reports of security agencies conducting raids and harassing PDP workers in the Pulwama and Shopian districts. Numerous party members, sympathizers, and activists have been arbitrarily detained without justification, apparently as punishment for their efforts to organize public rallies and encourage voter turnout," Mehbooba wrote to CEC in the letter.
She said that the situation has escalated to a point where the "security establishment is instilling a climate of fear" in areas slated for elections on May 13. Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party Altaf Bukhari also alleged that his party workers were being arrested before the polls. Bukhari accused NC and PDP of being "hand in glove" with the administration for arresting his workers.
"My party workers are being detained and harassed. PDP and NC, who have governed the state before, have officers in the administration at whose behest they are arresting and harassing my workers," Bukhari said in a press conference in Srinagar. The contesting candidates of the National Conference have also flagged the ECI about these alleged detentions.
National Conference candidate Aga Ruhullah Mehdi claimed that NC workers were being detained by police ahead of the voting in the Srinagar seat. "Our workers have been picked up by the police since yesterday. I got a call from a senior colleague A R Rather saab informing me about the arrests of our workers from Chrarsharif. Similar calls from the colleagues from Khansahab and Chadoora. Would the @ECISVEEP please care to explain these arrests? I also want immediate release of our workers and those of PDP if the reports of their arrests are also correct," Ruhullah wrote on X.
His political opponent in the elections, Waheed Para of PDP also alleged that an election "boycott" is being enforced in "PDP areas" as party workers are being detained and raided. "Rigging, arresting, and raiding our workers, alongside enforcing boycotts in PDP areas, blatantly contradicts national interests and fuels serious trust deficit. Those officials responsible for such actions are betraying Indian interests and extinguishing the hopes of Kashmir youth. Denying us a free and fair election is a grim echo of 1987, a threat to democracy itself," Para wrote on X, tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Election Commission of handles.
In another post on X, Para alleged that ADGP Vijay Kumar was allegedly asking officials to "minimize voting". "In the past, Kashmir has experienced boycotts at the behest of separatists. Today, we're witnessing a similar scenario, with an IPS officer of ADGP rank, Mr. Vijay Kumar, allegedly directing officials to minimize voter turnout by detaining, harassing our workers. Such actions serve the interests of anti-national elements, not India. @PMOIndia @HMOIndia We're reaching out to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to urgently address and relocate the official from his sensitive position," Para tweeted while tagging multiple handles of the Election Commission of India.
Srinagar parliamentary seat, spread in five districts of Shopian, Ganderbal, Pulwama, Srinagar and Budgam, comprising 18 assembly segments and 17.47 lakh voters is slated for voting on May 13. The administration has made elaborate security and administrative arrangements for the smooth conduct of the polling which will begin at 6 in the morning and conclude at 7 in the evening.
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