On the eve of voting in Srinagar, allegations by two prominent Valley parties – People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the National Conference (NC) – that the J&K administration was “intimidating and detaining” their workers to favour “a particular political party”, snowballed into a major controversy. The Election Commission and the police have denied the allegations.
While PDP’s Srinagar candidate Waheed ur Rehman Para claimed Saturday that Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari “openly gets people arrested”, NC candidate Aga Ruhullah Mehdi alleged Sunday that the administration was “working for a particular political party”. On the other hand, Bukhari said the administration was targeting Apni Party workers, and alleged that the PDP and the NC had joined hands with the administration in this.
The J&K Police rejected the allegations in a statement Sunday. “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. J&K Police is committed to enforcing the law and the MCC guidelines pertaining to security in furtherance of free and fair elections. There have been actions regardless of party affiliation pertaining to violations such as seizure of cash, narcotics, liquor and preventive actions against miscreants and potential offenders with a background of linkages to terrorism and separatism,” the statement said.
J&K Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pandurang Pole also termed the allegations baseless, but said if any mistakes were made, they would be corrected.
NC’s Srinagar candidate Ruhullah, in a press conference Sunday, said his party’s workers were being targeted to “weaken our logistic support”.
“Unfortunately, Jammu and Kashmir has been a police state since 2019. But now, even under the supervision of the Election Commission, it is working for a particular political party… the way an atmosphere is being prepared for a particular political party, the way the soldiers of democracy are being intimidated, political parties and organisers are being intimidated, what do they want to do in Jammu and Kashmir?” he said.
He said “tens” of party workers were detained and “more than a 100” were “intimidated”. “By doing the service of the proxies (of BJP), they (police) are doing a disservice to democracy,” he claimed.
On Saturday, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti had referred to allegations of election rigging in 1987, and said, “Our graveyards are full because of that rigging. PDP disbanded Ikhwan but they (BJP and Centre) have created a new political Ikhwan here.”
In a post on social media, PDP candidate Para named a senior police officer and accused him of “allegedly directing officials to minimise voter turnout by detaining and harassing our workers”.
“We’re reaching out to the Election Commission of India to urgently address and relocate the official from his sensitive position,” he said, adding that dozens of PDP workers were detained and that hundreds were called to police stations and intimidated.
The J&K Police rejected the allegations against the officer and said, “…Criticism of the police has been always accepted as a professional hazard. However, speculative statements, when made against individual police officers, and put in the public domain, exposes the individual to security hazards as seen in the past. Nevertheless, we reiterate our dedication and commitment to impartial enforcement of law.”
Apni Party’s Bukhari also accused the administration of intimidating his party workers.
“For the last two days, our (polling) agents and workers are being intimidated. I don’t know on whose behest the administration is doing it, but I already know that NC and PDP have joined hands with them and are harassing our workers,” Bukhari said.
Sajad Lone of the Peoples Conference, a party that both the NC and PDP have claimed is a BJP proxy, backed Bukhari. “I wholeheartedly agree with Altaf Bukhari that workers are being picked up and locked up on OGW grounds and other flimsy pretexts. Incidentally, all these OGW have been prepared during NC regimes,” Lone said on X.
J&K CEO Pole said that while some people had been detained, it was done irrespective of political affiliations and based on “vulnerability mapping” and “background checks”. “It is not being done against any individual or party, but is based on the background and criminal history of anti-national elements and OGWs,” he said.
“We are not saying that we have not made any mistake. There may be some. If anything comes to our notice, it will be corrected,” he said, adding, “We are sure the poll percentage will cross the 2019 figures.”
On earlier allegations by the NC and PDP regarding permissions for rallies, he said, “There are a few points that have been raised. About permissions and cancellations of poll rallies, let me tell you that we gave 1,592 permission for poll activities while 271 were rejected. Out of 1,592 permissions, only two permissions were cancelled in a particular area based on security inputs. As far as imposition of Section 144 is concerned, it is part of standard instructions during the silence period.”
“We have organised mass awareness programmes about voting rights and have reached every village, every polling station. We have done an SMS blast and reached over 60 lakh people. If we wanted a boycott, why would we do this?” the CEO said.
Polling officials leave for their respective booths Sunday, a day ahead of voting in Srinagar constituency. (Shuaib Masoodi) 
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