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NEW DELHI: Mehbooba Mufti, the leader of the People’s Democratic Party, staged a protest claiming that her party’s polling agents and workers have been unjustly detained by the police.
Mufti is contesting the Anantnag-Rajouri seat in the sixth phase against Mian Altaf Ahmad of the National Conference (NC) and Zafar Iqbal Manhas of the Apni Party.
Mufti expressed her concerns, saying, “PDP workers are being locked up in police stations without any reason.DG, LG, all officials from top to bottom are involved in this. They have locked up PDP polling agents in police stations. You had said that there will be free and fair elections but you are doing all this. Complaints are being received from places where efforts are being made to tamper the machines (EVMs).”
Mufti also claimed that her mobile phone’s outgoing call functionality has been unexpectedly disabled without any justification provided. “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 told PTI.
On the eve of the elections also, Mufti had written to the Election Commission, alleging that her workers had been wrongfully detained. She claimed, “Many of our PDP polling agents & workers are being detained just before voting. When the families went to the police stations they are being told that its being done at the behest of SSP Anantnag & DIG South Kashmir. We’ve written to ECI hoping for their timely intervention.”
Mufti is contesting the Anantnag-Rajouri seat in the sixth phase against Mian Altaf Ahmad of the National Conference (NC) and Zafar Iqbal Manhas of the Apni Party.
Mufti expressed her concerns, saying, “PDP workers are being locked up in police stations without any reason.DG, LG, all officials from top to bottom are involved in this. They have locked up PDP polling agents in police stations. You had said that there will be free and fair elections but you are doing all this. Complaints are being received from places where efforts are being made to tamper the machines (EVMs).”
Mufti also claimed that her mobile phone’s outgoing call functionality has been unexpectedly disabled without any justification provided. “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 told PTI.
On the eve of the elections also, Mufti had written to the Election Commission, alleging that her workers had been wrongfully detained. She claimed, “Many of our PDP polling agents & workers are being detained just before voting. When the families went to the police stations they are being told that its being done at the behest of SSP Anantnag & DIG South Kashmir. We’ve written to ECI hoping for their timely intervention.”
The Election Commission had previously rescheduled the polling date for the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency from May 7 to May 25 after receiving representations citing various issues related to logistics, communication, and natural connectivity barriers. This is the first general election in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, and the first election in Anantnag-Rajouri following the 2022 delimitation exercise, which combined the regions of Poonch and Rajouri into the constituency.
(With inputs from agencies)
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