The Election Commission on Saturday made a major change in the date of counting of votes for the assembly elections to be held in Jammu and Kashmir. Earlier, the counting of votes for the assembly elections of Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana was scheduled to be held on October 4, the date of which has now been extended to October 8. People’s Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti has condemned this decision of the Election Commission. She alleged on Sunday that the Election Commission has changed the date of counting of votes for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections at the behest of the BJP.
Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Mufti said, “They (Election Commission) do what suits the BJP. When I contested the (Lok Sabha) election, they unnecessarily changed the date (of polling). Everything happens according to the wishes of the BJP and its affiliated organisations.” Mufti further said, “We all know what happened in 1987, malpractices led to bloodshed which has not stopped till date. I hope all the staff involved in the election process will play their role in ensuring free and fair elections.”
#WATCH Srinagar, J&K: PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti said, “What can we say? You will remember even in my constituency when I contested election they changed the date without any reason, so they have their own calculation of BJP and accordingly they are fixing the date of election… https://t.co/dNOVbouv04 pic.twitter.com/qR5vXW9rd8
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) September 1, 2024
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Separatist leader and Hurriyat member Syed Salim Gilani joined the PDP on Sunday, just ahead of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. He was welcomed by party president Mehbooba Mufti at the PDP office. After joining the PDP, Gilani said, “PDP is a party that talks about democratic rights, human rights and political rights of the people. It talks about a political solution to the Kashmir problem. So I felt it was the right party to join.”
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Welcoming Gilani, Mufti said it was a good thing that the former separatist leader wanted a peaceful solution to the Kashmir issue. “We had requested Gilani to contest the election on a PDP ticket but he expressed his inability to do so. He said someone else should get a chance to contest the election,” he said.
