• Till date in all 5 PCs, total 1592 permissions were issued
• Police dismisses political parties’ charge of harassment of workers
Srinagar, May 12: Chief Election Officer for Jammu and Kashmir, Pandurang K Pole, addressed concerns over the reported intimidation of political workers ahead of the LokSabha elections in the Srinagar Parliamentary Constituency. He stated that the Election Commission of India (ECI) has taken serious note of these reports and has engaged directly with him regarding the matter.
Pole clarified that while Section 144 orders are routinely issued in all districts during the 48-hour silence period preceding elections, they have now been extended to cover all districts of the Srinagar Parliamentary Constituency, including Pulwama.
Regarding permissions for rallies and political meetings during the Model Code of Conduct period, Pole emphasized that special permissions are mandatory and are issued without discrimination through the centralized ‘Suvidha Portal’.
“These permissions are being issued without any discrimination and in an online mode through the centralized ‘Suvidha Portal’. Candidates are advised to consider the security concerns of specific areas, he said.
“Till date in all 5 PCs, total 1592 permissions were issued, which included candidates of National as well as State Political Parties and Independents. 277 applications were rejected, which too included applications from National, State Political Parties, independents,” he added.
Meanwhile, Police in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday dismissed charges levelled by political parties about the harassment of their workers as “without basis”.
“Statements and speculations of political parties suggesting that police has been harassing their party workers in different ways at the behest of the other is without basis. The Jammu and Kashmir Police is committed to enforcing the law and the MCC (Model Code of Conduct) guidelines pertaining to security in furtherance of free and fair elections,” police said in a statement here.
Earlier, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), National Conference (NC), and Jammu Kashmir Apni Party had accused the administration of bias and unjust crackdown on party activists. They expressed grave concerns over the arrest of party workers and agents ahead of polling, condemning it as an attempt to manipulate elections.
