Everything has been snatched from us, don’t take away vote now: Mehbooba Mufti writes to ECI after BJP, others suggest postponing polls

Mehbooba Mufti criticizes Election Commission for potential postponement of Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha elections, citing unfair advantage to opponents.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti was up in arms on April 26, as a group of parties, including the BJP, wrote to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to postpone elections for the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat.

“The ECI order to the J&K administration (to assess accessibility in Anantnag-Rajouri) has shocked me. It’s after a long time that the people of J&K have reposed faith in democracy. This government has snatched everything. Don’t snatch the ballots too. Don’t repeat 1987, which left Kashmir burning, filled graveyards and impacted generations,” Ms. Mufti said.

Ms. Mufti’s statement came a day after the ECI sought a report from J&K Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo and Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) P.K. Pole on “road conditions, weather and accessibility-related constraints” in Anantnag-Rajouri constituency, which will go to polls in the third phase on May 7.

The ECI’s direction came after representations made by BJP’s Ravinder Raina, J&K Peoples Conference’s Imran Reza Ansari, J&K Apni Party’s Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, J&K Apni Party’s Mohammad Saleem Parray and J&K Nationalist People’s Front. Besides, Ali Mohammad Wani and Arsheed Ali Lone, both Independent candidates, have made a similar representation. Interestingly, the BJP is not contesting from the seat.

According to these representations, “candidates from Rajouri and Poonch couldn’t file their nomination papers due to closure of Mughal Road in view of snowfall”.

However, Ms. Mufti took a road trip to Poonch-Rajouri from the Mughal Road on April 25. “I have come from the Mughal Road. It’s open from April 8. It was closed for a few days. Landslides take place throughout the year. The BJP is a rich organisation and can take these parties, which wrote to ECI, in choppers. The PDP is a poor organisation, and workers have paid from their own pockets in the past 20-30 days to campaign. I ask the ECI what is behind the move. Any delay will deny us a level playing field,” Ms. Mufti said.

In a letter to the ECI, Ms. Mufti said the move “is targeted at derailing our campaign”.