‘Mere excuses’: Mufti criticises proposed rescheduling of LS polls in Anantnag-Rajouri PC

Kulgam, Apr 28: Former chief minister and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday criticised the decision to consider rescheduling the Anantnag-Rajouri Parliamentary seat election due to weather conditions, calling it mere excuses. She urged the Election Commission of India not to undermine the confidence of the people in the electoral process.
On April 25, the Election Commission of India sought a detailed report from the Chief Secretary and Chief Electoral Officer of J&K on the road conditions and weather accessibility constraints in the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary seat after a number of parties and candidates had requested the ECI to reschedule the poll date on this seat.
However, there has been a mixed response. While some parties advocate for the deferment of elections in this specific seat, the two major political parties, the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have criticised this stance and appealed to proceed with the elections as scheduled.
Mehbooba, while addressing reporters during her visit to south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, said, “Weather can change anytime. What does that mean? If it rains for a month, does that mean elections won’t be held for a month? Isn’t the weather bad in any other part of the country? These are mere excuses. The overwhelming response from people towards us has scared them, and they want to postpone the elections so that they get a chance to threaten the people and spend the huge wealth they have collected.”
“I once again urge the Election Commission of India to consider that the people of J&K have overcome numerous challenges to build confidence in the election process, and this trust should not be undermined for the sake of a single individual or party,” she added.
Mufti said she had delegated the authority to NC chief Dr Farooq Abdullah to decide on the seat-sharing arrangement in Kashmir.
“We designated him (Dr Farooq) as the head of the family, where the family head communicates with other family members to reach a decision. However, he didn’t do so. Instead, Omar Abdullah addressed the media and declared that the PDP is a done and dusted party. They unilaterally decided on nominating parliamentary seats in Kashmir,” she said.
The PDP chief pointed out that the outcome of the unilateral decision was that the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), on which people’s hopes were pinned, whether they were from Kashmir or Jammu, was “torn into shreds by the NC with just one sentence”.