Omar smells conspiracy in EC deferring Anantnag-Rajouri polls

Srinagar: National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said that deferring of the elections for Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat was a well hatched conspiracy aimed at depriving a large chunk of Gujjar and Bakerwal voters from voting.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday postponed polling in the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary seat to May 25 from May 7 citing logistical issues owing to adverse weather conditions. The decision triggered sharp reaction from J&K’s two major parties NC and Peoples Democratic Party.

Omar termed the deferring the poll as absolutely wrong.

“It is evident that this has been done under a well-planned conspiracy to keep away a major section of the population from exercising their franchises as they are moving to plains from higher reaches during this period of the season,” the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister told reporters at Dooru in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district after a joint rally of NC and Congress.

“I would have accepted if the voters had to face problems in exercising their franchise or the roads to the constituency remained cut off, but that is not the reality. The roads are still connected,” Omar said

He said National Conference President Farooq Abdullah and Anantnag-Rajouri candidate Mian Altaf reached Rajouri today via Jammu and they are conducting campaigns there.

“If they made it, others could have also reached Rajouri,” he said.

The NC vice president said if Mughal Road connecting Anantnag district in south Kashmir with the twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch were closed the campaign was still possible from Jammu and Reasi.

He said the demand to defer the elections was made by the BJP and Peoples Conference who were not contesting polls there.

“We had pinned hopes on the ECI for justice but the way they deferred the election to benefit the BJP,” Omar said, adding “now to hope anything from the ECI would be a mistake”.

Asked about a video that surfaced from Rajouri in which BJP workers were allegedly asking people to vote in favour of their candidate, Omar said: “BJP’s work is to threaten the people”.

UNI