EC says, PDP stays

PDP president Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, also former Home Minister, gave the EC a clean chit. He said EC has now dispelled misgivings about the likely fairness of the third phase polls. The PDP had accused state police chief A.K. Suri of acting as an ‘‘NC card-holder’’ who along with other agencies was helping NC rig the polls.

‘‘We had apprehensions about the fairness of the third phase. But the way our grievances were redressed by the EC’s prompt action, I now have no doubt about the fairness of polls in Anantnag and Pulwama,’’ Sayeed said.

He dubbed the first and second phases ‘‘fairly transparent’’, which was a reason for the greater participation in polls. ‘‘People have confidence that this time round, there would be no rigging and the EC has done a commendable job in winning over people’s trust.’’

He expects these elections to mark a turning point in Kashmir’s history. Sayeed said his party has been running its campaign on the theme ‘‘Goli sey nahi, boli sey baath banegi (Dialogue, not bullets, will do the trick)’’. ‘‘Elected representatives can initiate a dialogue. Militants too should be included in the process,’’ he said.