Srinagar:

People’s Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti has written to the Election Commission to stop the alleged harassment and “illegal” arrest of the party workers.

In her letter to ECI, Ms Mufti said, “It has come to my attention that the state administration, under the control of the Union government, is shamelessly engaged in activities aimed at intimidating voters and supporters of the People’s Democratic Party. I am deeply troubled by reports of security agencies conducting raids and harassing PDP workers in the Pulwama and Shopian districts. Numerous party members, sympathizers, and activists have been arbitrarily detained without justification, apparently as punishment for their efforts to organize public rallies and encourage voter turnout.”

“As the custodian of democracy, the Election Commission plays a crucial role in upholding the integrity of the electoral process and ensuring a level playing field for all political parties. However, recent actions, such as the delay in the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency, have raised serious concerns about the Commission’s impartiality and emboldened those who seek to manipulate the electoral outcome through coercion and intimidation,” she added.

Further, Ms Mufti alleged that the situation has escalated to a point where the security establishment is instilling a “climate of fear” in areas slated for elections on May 13.

“It is distressing to witness history repeating itself, reminiscent of the 1987 rigged elections that caused immense suffering and political disillusionment in the region. The blatant efforts to marginalize the People’s Democratic Party, which represents the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, only serve to deepen wounds and erode trust in democratic institutions,” Ms Mufti said in her letter.

The PDP chief also mentioned that the imposition of Section 144 of the CrPC, prohibiting the assembly of people in areas witnessing high political activities, is shocking and deeply concerning.

“Citizens are being deprived of their right to express their democratic voice, simply because they are expected to support the PDP. If the Election Commission of India is unwilling to address these issues and uphold the integrity of the electoral process, it would be tantamount to condoning electoral malpractice and betraying the very essence of democracy,” she said.

“Through this urgent appeal, I seek not only to convey the apprehensions of my party but also to articulate the sentiments of the broader populace. I implore your office to take immediate and decisive action to thwart any attempts at election rigging and safeguard the democratic values that define our nation,” she added.

In 2019, polling for the Lok Sabha was held for six seats in Jammu and Kashmir. However, following the abrogation of Article 370, which resulted in the split of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state into two Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, there is no longer a separate Lok Sabha constituency for Ladakh.

Voting for the Udhampur and Jammu seats was concluded on April 19 and 26 respectively while Srinagar will go to polls on May 13.

Baramulla seat will vote on May 20 while the Anantnag-Rajouri seat on May 25.

 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Srinagar:

The redrawn electoral map of Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag constituency has come as a hurdle to political parties of Kashmir Valley.  The ongoing Lok Sabha election is the first major poll in Jammu and Kashmir since the scrapping of Article 370. The political parties busy grappling with the electoral map are now confronted with a new possibility — the deferment of election in the constituency.

In Anantnag-Rajouri, mountains have driven a wedge through the redrawn constituency, dividing its main portion from Rajouri and Poonch. In between lies Shopian district, which has been made part of the Srinagar parliamentary constituency, creating a complete geographical disconnect between one end of the Anantnag constituency and the other.

Elections in Anantnag-Rajouri constituency are due on May 7. But they could be deferred because of challenges in connectivity and weather conditions. The Mughal road, which connects the two ends of the constituency, has been closed due to snowfall and some parties have contended that campaigning is difficult under the circumstances. The BJP and some other groups have demanded that the election be deferred because of the closure of the Mughal road.

The Election Commission is likely to take a decision shortly. The Commission has asked the J&K administration to submit a report on whether the election needs to be rescheduled because of the connectivity issues.

The National Conference and the PDP claim that the weather and road connectivity are being used as an excuse to derail election process.

“The letter from the Election Commission to the J&K administration is intriguing,” said National Conference chief and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

Parties that have demanded deferment of election are not even contesting, he pointed out.

“The People’s Conference and the BJP are not contesting in Anantnag constituency. What do they have do with this election? They are proving that they are helping someone through the backdoor. If our views are ignored, it would mean that it is a well-planned conspiracy to fiddle with elections,” he added.

The BJP says it is not their fault if the road has been shut due to snowfall.

“The Mughal road is open. I have myself travelled by the Mughal road. What is this excuse to defer elections?” said People’s Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti, who is contesting from Anantnag.

“Through delimitation, they have already rigged elections… Didn’t they know at the time of delimitation that unless a tunnel is built between the Valley and Pir Panjal commuting remains difficult for 6 months,” she added.

“There is bad weather, heavy snowfall, connectivity through Mughal road from Rajouri-Poonch to the Valley is closed… what’s the fault of BJP? There has been heavy snowfall on the Pir Panjal mountains,” said Ravinder Raina, chief of J&K BJP.

While 21 candidates are in fray in Anantnag, the contest is a triangular one between Mian Altaf Ahmad of National Conference, Mehbooba Mufti of PDP and J&K Apni Party, believed to be backed by the BJP. The Congress and CPM are supporting the National Conference, which is part of the opposition bloc INDIA.

Srinagar:

In a significant development, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on Friday took cognisance of a report on ‘X’ accusing PDP President and Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat candidate Mehbooba Mufti of using school children for campaigning in the election.

In a communication to Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar, NCPCR Chairperson Priyank Kanoongo said that the child rights panel has taken suo motto cognisance of the matter and is informing the CEC of the same for deemed appropriate action against her.

Mehbooba Mufti is the PDP candidate for the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat and her main rivals are Mian Altaf Ahmad of the NC and Zafar Iqbal Manhas of the J&K Apni Party. 

The constituency goes to vote on May 7 in the third phase of the Lok Sabha polls.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Anantnag:

 National Conference leader Omar Abdullah claimed that Mehbooba Mufti-led People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as its ‘C team’.

Mr Abdullah’s statement comes after BJP leader Mushtaq Bukhari notably urged members of the Pahari community to vote for Mehbooba Mufti in the ongoing Lok Sabha election.

Referring to this, the NC leader said, “If we have to defeat the BJP here, and the powers spreading poison in the whole country, then people should look at INDIA alliance leaders on all five seats of J-K. All others are connected to the BJP in some way. Be it the ‘A’ or ‘B’ team that meets Tarun Chugh sahib or PDP. I am assuming that now Mehbooba Mufti will put pressure on the BJP to get Mushtaq Bukhari’s statement changed. PDP has joined BJP as its ‘C’ team.”

When asked about sitting BJP Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal who dropped as a candidate from the constituency in this election, Mr Abdullah said that they will try to field such a candidate from the National Conference-Congress so that BJP has no chance of winning the seat.

“The right candidate should be fielded by Congress (on the Ladakh seat) as we are fighting together on the Ladakh seat. We will try to field such a candidate from National Conference-Congress so that BJP has no chance of winning the seat,” he said.

BJP on Tuesday announced Tashi Gyalson, a former party general secretary of the Ladakh unit, as its candidate from the Ladakh constituency replacing its current MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal from the Lok Sabha seat.

Tashi Gyalson is a councillor from the Lingshed constituency and in 2020 was elected as chairman and chief executive councillor of the 6th Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, (LAHDC), Leh.

He joined the BJP after the BJP-PDP coalition government in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir collapsed. He was then a member of the PDP.

Polling in Udhampur was held on April 19 (Phase 1), while Jammu, Anantnag-Rajouri, Srinagar, and Baramulla will poll on April 26, May 7, May 13, and May 20 respectively.

In 2019, polling for the Lok Sabha was held for six seats in Jammu and Kashmir. However, following the abrogation of Article 370, which resulted in the split of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state into two Union Territories–Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, there is no longer a separate Lok Sabha constituency for Ladakh.

In the 2019 elections, the BJP won three seats while the National Conference won the remaining three.

The counting of votes will be held on June 4.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Srinagar:

Weeks ahead of the first phase of Lok Sabha polls, Jammu and Kashmir has joined the list of states where INDIA allies are contesting against each other. The Mehbooba Mufti-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has decided to go solo in Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir.

Announcing the decision at a press meet, Ms Mufti said her party will contest the three seats in Kashmir Valley and will soon take a decision on contesting the two parliamentary seats in Jammu. She also hit out at ally National Conference for its “unilateral” decision to contest all seats in Kashmir.

The move comes after National Conference announced that it will contest all three seats in Kashmir and named Mian Altaf as its candidate from Anantnag-Rajouri seat.

Hitting out at National Conference and its leader Omar Abdullah, she said, “The National Conference and Omar Abdullah didn’t leave any option for us.”

She said the need of the hour was for political parties in Jammu and Kashmir to remain united. But the attitude of the National Conference leadership was hurtful, she said. “When the INDI alliance’s meeting took place in Mumbai, I said there that since (NC president) Farooq Abdullah is our senior leader, he will take a decision (on seat sharing) and will do justice. I had hoped he would keep the party interests aside,” she said. But the National Conference decided to contest all three seats in Kashmir unilaterally, she added.

Ms Mufti said that if the National Conference had consulted the PDP before announcing the decision, her party could have decided not to field candidates in the larger interest of Kashmir.

“If they had to take the same decision, if they thought that they had a better voice than the PDP to raise the issues of the people of Kashmir, then they should have told me two months ago that they wanted to contest themselves and told me not to field candidates, then perhaps, for the larger interest, we would not have contested,” she said.

“But, the way Omar (Abdullah) announced the decision without taking us into confidence, it hurt my workers and broke their hearts,” she added.

The National Conference last month announced that it will be contesting all Lok Sabha seats in the valley.

In a press meet yesterday, Omar Abdullah had slammed the media for trying to create a rift between National Conference and PDP.

“Why are you making the PDP fight us? Has the PDP said anywhere that they will contest elections? It is you people who are fuelling this. I heard the speech of Mehboba Mufti in Delhi, she said Farooq sahib and we are together and we will not break the INDIA alliance. Why are you trying to make us fight?” he asked.

He also said the National Conference’s decision to contest all three seats in Kashmir was based on who won the previous elections.

This puts the Congress in a tricky spot. Now it must decide whether it will support the PDP or National Conference. The PDP’s decision will also add a punch to the BJP’s campaign against the INDIA alliance over the bloc’s members taking each other on in multiple states, including Kerala, Punjab and West Bengal.

Jammu:

After People’s Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti expressed unhappiness over the National Conference’s decision to contest all three Lok Sabha constituencies in Kashmir, NC President Farooq Abdullah on Saturday said both parties are part of the INDIA coalition. He asserted that his party would win all three seats in Kashmir for the alliance.

Mehbooba Mufti had on Friday said that the NC’s decision was “disappointing” and a “setback to the hopes of the people of J&K”. She also accused the NC of reducing their Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) to a “joke”.

“I do not know what she (Mufti) had said… National Conference stands on its own feet and has won three seats (in the 2019 general elections). We are part of the alliance and she is also part of the alliance. If the National Conference wins (these seats) again, they will win it for the INDIA alliance and so what is the problem,” Mr Abdullah told reporters here.

The NC leader said he is sure that the INDIA alliance will always grow because it is needed “for the future of India and democracy”. He said that “everybody wants a secular India where we all can live in peace, harmony and progress”.

“India is for all. India is not Pakistan. The Constitution of India was framed on the lines that we are all one. How does it matter what religion you follow, what language you speak and what your culture is? It is a united India,” he said.

Asked about Mehbooba Mufti’s remarks on PAGD, he said assembly elections are coming and “we will see what we will do. I am sure they (BJP-led government) will try to hold the assembly polls with parliamentary elections.”

The NC has announced the party would contest the three seats in Kashmir valley and asked the Congress to contest the two seats in the Jammu region. The party also said there would be a consensus candidate of NC and Congress on the Ladakh seat.

Jammu and Kashmir has five Lok Sabha seats, while Ladakh has one. In the last elections, while the NC won the three seats in Kashmir, the BJP won the two Jammu seats as well as the lone Ladakh seat.

On PAGD, Ms Mufti had said on Friday that it was “difficult to see the unity break”.

“I regret that what we nurtured for five years has been shattered,” she said. The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said that had the NC leadership discussed the issue with her, the PDP could have let the NC contest on all three seats in the valley.

However, she said the PDP was still a part of the INDIA bloc and the party would discuss the future strategy with the Congress.

Asked about the formation of a new government in Pakistan and its possible approach towards India, Mr Abdullah on Saturday said Islamabad has to decide whether it wants peaceful relations with India or not.

“What Pakistan does, is their problem. It is their nation and it is for them to decide whether they want to live in peace with our nation or they don’t want to live in peace.

“Kashmir was acceded to India by Maharaja Hari Singh and that accession is even today and that will last forever,” he said, adding, “We are part of India and there is no problem for us. It is for them to decide what they want to do.”

To a query on Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s statement likening Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Adolf Hitler, he said, “I do not know what he had said and under what conditions”.

“He (Modi) is not a Prime Minister of the BJP. People who voted for him are just 37 per cent but once one becomes a Prime Minister, he represents every Indian. He also represents 1.4 billion when he goes outside the country.

“He represents Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and every other religion, and those who have no religion,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Srinagar:

The National Conference on Friday said it would not agree a seat-share deal with the Peoples Democratic Party ahead of the Lok Sabha election in Jammu and Kashmir, a development that comes as setback for the opposition INDIA bloc. NC leader Omar Abdullah’s swipe at the PDP underlined the rift between the two regional parties, each of which has declared it will contest the poll on its own.

“I have told you… the party that is No. 3 has no right to ask for a seat. If I had been told, before joining INDIA, we would have to weaken ourselves for another member, I would have never joined,” Mr Abdullah said.

This was after PDP boss Mehbooba Mufti said her party too is planning to fight this election on its own. She said the PDP would decide candidates for J&K’s five seats and the one in Ladakh.

READ | Another INDIA Setback As PDP Preps For “Own Fight” In Polls

“Since they (the National Conference) have already taken a decision… we will discuss it. There will be deliberations and a future course of action will be decided (soon),” the PDP’s Suhail Bukhari said.

That comment, in turn, was after one by Farooq Abdullah – Mr Abdullah’s father.

READ | Farooq Abdullah’s Party To Fight Alone In J&K In Setback For INDIA

“As far as seat sharing is concerned, I want to make it clear NC will contest elections on its own. There should be no questions on this…” he had said last month. Hours later Omar Abdullah attempted damage control, stating (with his father by his side) the NC “is still” part of INDIA.

READ | After Farooq Abdullah’s Comment On INDIA, Son Omar Clarifies

Farooq Abdullah’s comment was seen as the former Chief Minister expressing concern over the stalemate between his party, the PDP, and the Congress in reaching a seat-share agreement.

As this back-and-forth continued, Omar Abdullah also made it clear there was no scenario in which the National Conference would ally with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

“Let me make it clear… there is no window, or even a crack, open for the NDA… there is no possibility of us joining them,” he said in response to speculation the NC would quit INDIA.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP and Mr Abdullah’s NC split the six seats, with the former winning Ladakh, Udhampur, and Jammu, and the latter claiming Baramulla, Srinagar (where Mr Modi on Thursday held a massive rally), and Anantnag.

The PDP contested all six but failed to win any, and went home with an overall vote share of less than four per cent. The NC secured a vote share of just under eight per cent. The Congress, which also failed to win any seats, picked up around 28 per cent of the votes.

Talks for the 2024 election have reportedly stalled over the PDP’s demand for the Anantnag seat, which is currently held by the NC but was won by Ms Mufti in 2004 and 2014. It was also won by Ms Mufti’s father, ex-Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, in 1998; he was then with the Congress.

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Jammu:

Slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the graphic poster against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Friday said BJP appears “frustrated” with Opposition’s INDIA bloc.

“It shows their frustration. They are frustrated with the INDIA alliance. They know their all tactics including Hindu-Muslim have failed. They talk about ‘Santana Dharma’. Does ‘Santana Dharma’ teach you to call your opponent ‘Ravan’? They meet Muslim leaders and visit Moques abroad but in this country they lynch Muslims. They have created Godse army in the country,” Ms Mufti said while addressing a press briefing.

Congress termed it ‘shameful’ after the BJP shared a graphic poster that prominently featured MP Rahul Gandhi with a bearded visage and seven heads, reminiscent of the mythical character Ravana.

“No words are enough to condemn the ‘shameful’ graphic on the BJP handle comparing Rahul Gandhi ji to Ravana. Their nefarious intentions are clear, they want to murder him. He lost his grandmother and father to assassinations. They withdrew his SPG protection to score petty political points,” Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said in a post on X.

The BJP had on Thursday shared the graphic poster on their official handle of the social media platform ‘X, and captioned it, “India is in Danger. He is Evil. Anti-Dharma. Anti-Ram. His aim is to destroy Bharat.”

The poster also linked the Congress leader to George Soros, a billionaire investor who has been accused of being involved in anti-India activities.

The graphic has ignited a debate on social media, with supporters and critics expressing various opinions about its symbolism and intent.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jammu:

 Peoples Democratic Party Chief Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday condemned the Delhi police raids on the premises of NewsClick, saying, “speaking the truth in Amrit Kaal is the biggest crime”.

Speaking to ANI, the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister said, “We condemn it. In BJP’s ‘Amrit Kaal’, speaking the truth is the biggest crime.”

“They (NewsClick) were questioning the government. They were asking questions about the 2 crore jobs, Rs 15 lakh, which was to be deposited in the bank accounts of people, inflation, women athlete protests and the MP (Brij Bhushan Singh, who has been accused of sexual harassment by female wrestlers) who is walking free,” she said.

She said, “It seems whoever dares to question the government is put behind bars or booked under UAPA”.

Meanwhile, speaking to the media in Bhubaneshwar, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said the investigating agencies were doing their job.

“The investigating agencies are doing their job. If the agency has taken action, then it must have been based on evidence or a specific complaint,” the minister said.

Delhi police on Tuesday raided different premises linked to NewsClick in a case registered under UAPA on August 17.

The investigation, which is still underway was launched on the basis of information from central agencies. Sources also said that an FIR was filed at the New Delhi Range of Delhi Police special cell against NewsClick.

As part of the investigation, editor of NewsClick Prabir Purkayastha and writers Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and Urmilesh were brought to the special cell offices in the national capital today.

Sources said that the first meeting before launching the crackdown was held by the top officials of the special cell on Monday (October 2). The meeting was attended by over 200 police personnel at 2 am at the special cell office in Lodhi colony.

Apart from Senior Officials, the mobile handsets of Junior officials were kept at the station, to hide any leaked information.

The special team carried out raids at more than 30 locations, sources said, adding that suspects were marked in the A, B, and C categories.

Meanwhile, in Mumbai, teams of the Delhi Police special cell & Mumbai police conducted searches at the residence of activist Teesta Setalvad.

The raids are being conducted on a case registered on August 17 under UAPA and other sections of IPC, which include UAPA, 153A of IPC (promoting enmity between two groups), and 120 B of IPC (criminal conspiracy).

The raid team on Tuesday morning also reached at Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury’s residence to question his staffer Sri Narayan’s son Sunmit Kumar. The raid team seized the mobile, laptop, and hard drive of Sunmit Kumar, who works at NewsClick, sources said.

Earlier on August 10 a report in the New York Times had alleged that NewsClick was part of a global network that receives funding from American billionaire Neville Roy Singham.

Mr Singham is known as a socialist benefactor of far-left causes, and is at the centre of a lavishly funded influence campaign that defends China and pushes its propaganda. Neville Roy Singham is said to have close ties to the Chinese government media machine.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)