As voting commenced for the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary Lok Sabha seat in Jammu and Kashmir, former Chief Minister and PDP candidate Mehbooba Mufti staged a sit-in protest in south Kashmir, alleging rigging in the polls with the complicity of the Union Territory administration led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
Addressing the media during the sit-in held in the Bijbehara area of Anantnag district, Mehbooba said that PDP polling agents had been detained before voting without valid reasons.
“Our polling agents have been detained and placed in jails without any justification. We have asked for clarification, but the local Station House Officer (SHO) has not provided any explanation. We suspect that the LG, Director General, and Deputy Inspector General of South Kashmir are colluding,” Mehbooba stated.
Taking a swipe at LG Manoj Sinha, the PDP President said, “If they had an issue with Mehbooba Mufti representing in Parliament, the LG should have informed me to refrain from contesting the election. But why are they repeating the 1987-like situation?”
Mehbooba alleged that PDP poll agents and voters were being prevented from reaching polling stations to cast their votes, and she also claimed instances of EVM tampering at multiple locations.
Furthermore, she stated that outgoing calls from her mobile number had been suspended without explanation.
“I have been unable to make any calls since morning. There is no justification for this sudden suspension of services on the day of polling in the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency,” Mehbooba said.
