Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Monday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah as to why workers of his party – the JK National Conference – have been locked up by police in the run up to elections.
The former chief minister's question comes amid the allegation by the NC and People's Democratic Party (PDP) – the two regional satraps of the erstwhile state – that the administration was “intimidating and detaining" their workers to favour “a particular political party". The Election Commission and the police have denied the allegations.
“While I am a happy that the day of polls has come. I am also said that they say that there is no violence and everything is smooth but I want to say that the workers of our party have been locked up for last two days,” Abdullah told reporters.
Srinagar, one of the three seats of Kashmir, is among the 96 seats voting in the phase 4 of Lok Sabha elections across the country.
“I want to ask Union Home Minister and Prime Minister Modi why have our workers been locked? Are they scared that they will lose? They will definitely lose,” he added.
First election post Article 370 scrapping
The Lok Sabha Elections 2024 are the first general elections in the erstwhile state since the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution in August 2019 by the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP)-ruled centre. The abrogation stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status. The government also downgraded the erstwhile state into two Union Territories – J&K and Ladakh. Baramulla and Anantnag-Rajouri –the other two seats of Kashmir Valley – will vote in the next two rounds of Lok Sabha polls.
NC candidate Aga Ruhullah is up against Waheed Para of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the Srinagar seat. JK Apni Party (AP) has fielded former minister, Mohammad Ashraf Mir for the Srinagar seat. The AP candidate is backed by Sajad Lone’s JK People’s Conference (PC).
Srinagar has been an NC stronghold with the party winning 10 out of 13 elections held for the seat so far. Party president and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah won the seat in 2019. Before Farooq, his son Omar Abdullah and mother Begum Akbar Jehan Abdullah have also represented the seat.
Police's Response
The Police have rejected the allegations by political leaders calling the remarks ‘baseless’. “Statements and speculations of political parties suggesting that police have been harassing their party workers in different ways at the behest of the other is without basis. Jammu and Kashmir Police is committed to enforcing the law and the MCC guidelines pertaining to security in furtherance of free and fair elections,” a police statement said.
