Won't contest by-poll in Anantnag, impose Guv's rule in J&K: Congress

Srinagar: The Congress on Tuesday said that it won’t participate in the Anantnag constituency by-poll after Election Commission decided to defer the Lok Sabha by-poll in Anantnag constituency to May 25 in the backdrop of widespread violence witnessed during the by-election to the Srinagar seat on Sunday.

Jammu and Kashmir PCC chief Ghulam Ahmed Mir, who is seeking election to Lok Sabha from home constituency Anantnag as the joint candidate of opposition Congress and National Conference (NC), said he will withdraw unless Governor’s rule is imposed in the State.

The by-poll to the Srinagar seat was marred by violence in which eight people were killed and dozens wounded in security forces’ actions against protesters and stone-pelting mobs. The state also saw only a meagre 7.14 percent of over 1.2 million voters turn up. The voting in the Anantnag by-poll was to be held on Wednesday.

The EC said that it decided to defer it following feedback of State election authorities. However, it also announced to hold re-polling at 38 polling stations of Srinagar Parliamentary constituency on April 13 which has surprised many here.

Mir, who had opposed the deferment of the by-poll in Anantnag, told reporters that the PDP-BJP government failed to provide a peaceful atmosphere for the by-elections. “This makes it beyond any doubt that Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has failed,” he said.

He added, “Jammu and Kashmir should be brought under the Governor’s rule immediately and if they fail to do so I will withdraw (from the fray)”.

Former Chief Minister and acting president of the NC, Omar Abdullah, questioned the logic behind holding re-poll in 38 polling stations of Srinagar constituency after the EC postponed the by-poll in Anantnag. He tweeted, “Situation isn’t conducive for polls in Anantnag but it’s conducive for a re-poll in the areas worst affected by violence on the 9th. Logic?”.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had earlier on Monday said that decades of hard work to build trust in the democratic process in Kashmir has been reversed by the BJP government in less than three years.

He also accused the PDP-BJP government in the State of having “totally failed” and said that the elections in the Valley “reflect the total failure of the BJP-PDP alliance and the government's Kashmir policy.”

Separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik in a joint statement issued here said, “The peoples’ verdict against occupation is loud and clear as is their commitment to achieving their fundamental political right expressing their will and aspirations”.

It added, “The Government of India’s own index of treating elections as a gauge of people's faith in Indian democracy stands completely exposed as they were totally rejected and resisted by the people in one part of the Valley and forced to postpone the election in another”.

They further said that it was a “clear ideological, political and moral victory” for the people of Kashmir and “a huge achievement they should be proud of.”