news details |
|
|
| NC 's charge that elections are being rigged in Kashmir is a sign of frustration | | Civic Polls | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Oct 12: The people of Jammu province, including the people in the Muslim-majority areas, again reposed their full faith in the Indian democratic system and voted in large numbers and with great enthusiasm. Whopping 78 per cent voters in Kathua, Reasi, Udhampur, Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban exercised their franchise to elect new municipal councils and municipalities. The Wednesday vote, like the Monday vote in Jammu and Ladakh, was a vote against the politics of separatism, autonomy and self-rule and a vote for the mainstream politics and development. In fact, the Wednesday vote, like the Monday vote, was a vote for the reorganization of the state.
As was expected, the people in Kashmir again toed the separatists' line and boycotted the poll. Only about 3 per cent of the eligible voters came out of their houses to cast their vote. The so-called mainstream Kashmiri leaders instead of hailing the voting percentage in Jammu and Ladakh, the state's two large regions, chose to target the Government of India and the BJP and accused them of rigging elections in Kashmir. Indeed, a spurious and politically motivated charge.
Launching a politically motivated charge, former minister and general secretary of NC Ali Mohammad Sagar said that "the low voter turnout was a snub to the Government of India (GoI)"; that "this was on account of the fact that the situation in Kashmir has been worst since last four years after the PDP-BJP coalition government assumed office in Kashmir"; and that the "low voter turnout was people's resentment against the BJP government".
"The government is playing with the sentiments and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the elections were held even as it was known that last time, there was only 7 per cent turnout on Srinagar parliamentary seat. The elections were not held in Anantang last year even as the campaign was run and nomination papers were filed, this time polls were held to mislead that there was no problem in Kashmir," he further said.
Not just this, the NC leader accused the Government of India of rigging elections in Jammu & Kashmir. "The low turnout was registered even as Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) decided to increase the polling time to 10 hours, from 6 am to 4 pm. The authorities have said that this was done to increase the voter turnout, but it was only done to rig the elections. The elections were rigged. What is the justification for changing time? Do they expect people to wake up in the night to cast the votes?" Sagar said.
NC vice-president and former chief minister Omar Abdullah also expressed identical view. He said: "The timing may have been changed to discourage journalists from checking the veracity of the polls". The Congress also didn't lag behind. JKPCC vice-president GN Monga said that the polling time was increased "to rig polls".
The NC lost the moral and political right to reflect on the ongoing electoral process at the grassroots level the day it declared that it will boycott the civic polls and Panchayati elections. The fact of the matter is that the NC, the PDP and the Congress have lost their faces and what they are saying about elections is nothing but a sign of their defeat, frustration and desperation. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
