Srinagar, May 12 :
A day ahead of the polling to Srinagar Parliamentary Constituency, Peoples Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference candidate Aga Syed Ruhulla on Sunday sought Election Commission of India (ECI) intervention to stop the alleged intimidation and arrest of their party workers by the state administration.
In her letter to ECI, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, who is also contesting from the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat, alleged that “the statement 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 Pulwama and Shopian districts,” she said in her letter to ECI, adding that “numerous party members, sympathisers, and activists have been arbitrarily detained without justification, apparently as punishment for their efforts to organise public rallies and encourage voter turnout.”
She said, “In a democratic society, it is imperative that both election authorities and state officials promote political participation and ensure a fair electoral process. Regrettably, the current situation in these areas is far from conducive to such principles,” she alleged.
The former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister has appealed to the ECI to prevent an alleged repetition of 1897 election rigging and state-sponsored intimidation in the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency.
“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,” the letter reads.
Mehbooba 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. This appears to be a direct result of public threats made by the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party, which has openly called for the arrest of PDP supporters.”
Mehbooba appealed to “the ECI to implore his office to take immediate and decisive action to thwart any attempts at election rigging and safeguard the democratic values that define our nation.”
Meanwhile, the NC candidate from Srinagar Parliamentary Constituency, Aga Syed Ruhulla Mehdi, said in a post on X, “Our workers have been picked up by the police since yesterday. I got a call from a senior colleague, like A.R. Rather, informing me about the arrests of our workers from Charar-e-Sharief. Similar calls from the colleagues from Khansahab and Chadoora. Would the ECISVEEP please care to explain these arrests. I also want the immediate release of our workers and those of the PDP if the reports of their arrests are also correct.”
