Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): As voting began for the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary Lok Sabha of Jammu and Kashmir in the penultimate phase of Lok Sabha election 2024, former Chief Minister and PDP candidate for the seat, Mehbooba Mufti held a sit-in in south Kashmir alleging rigging in the polls with the acquiescence of the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha led Union Territory administration administration. Mufti said that the government "cannot tolerate" her in the parliament.
Speaking to media persons during the sit in held Bijbehara area of Anantnag district, Mehbooba claimed that PDP polling agents had been detained ahead of voting “without any reason”.
“Our polling agents have been detained and lodged in jails without any reason. We are asking them for the reason, but the local SHO is not telling us the reason. We think the LG, DG and DIG South Kashmir are hand in glove,” Mehbooba said.
Taking a dig at LG Manoj Sinha, the PDP President said, “If they had a problem in Mehbooba Mufti going to the Parliament, LG sahib should have told me not to fight election, but why are they repeating 87 (large scale poll rigging)?”
Mehbooba claimed that PDP poll agents and voters were not being allowed to proceed to the polling stations to cast vote while also alleging tampering with the EVMs at many places.
Over claims by the District Police Anantnag that only those with "tainted past" had been detained to ensure peaceful polling, Mufti retorted saying that no such cases had been registered against the PDP polling agents detained by police.
"They are lying. They have been given the responsibility to rig the elections. Like 1987 elections, they have been given the directions from the LG office and DG office. What can they do, they are just puppets. This is just to induce fear in the minds of the people so that the Kashmiris don't come out and vote as they know that if the people of South Kashmir come out and vote then Mehbooba Mufti will win and will go to parliament. They can't tolerate me in the parliament," Mufti said
The PDP president also claimed that outgoing calls on her mobile number have been suspended without any explanation.
"I am not able to make any calls since morning. There is no explanation for this sudden suspension of services on the day of polling in the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency," Mehbooba said. (With inputs from PTI)
