Srinagar:
The redrawn electoral map of Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag constituency has come as a hurdle to political events of Kashmir Valley. The continued Lok Sabha election is the primary main ballot in Jammu and Kashmir for the reason that scrapping of Article 370. The political events busy grappling with the electoral map at the moment are confronted with a brand new chance — the deferment of election within the constituency.
In Anantnag-Rajouri, mountains have pushed a wedge via the redrawn constituency, dividing its primary portion from Rajouri and Poonch. In between lies Shopian district, which has been made a part of the Srinagar parliamentary constituency, creating an entire geographical disconnect between one finish of the Anantnag constituency and the opposite.
Elections in Anantnag-Rajouri constituency are due on Might 7. However they could possibly be deferred due to challenges in connectivity and climate situations. The Mughal highway, which connects the 2 ends of the constituency, has been closed attributable to snowfall and a few events have contended that campaigning is tough beneath the circumstances. The BJP and another teams have demanded that the election be deferred due to the closure of the Mughal highway.
The Election Fee is prone to take a call shortly. The Fee has requested the J&Okay administration to submit a report on whether or not the election must be rescheduled due to the connectivity points.
The Nationwide Convention and the PDP declare that the climate and highway connectivity are getting used as an excuse to derail election course of.
“The letter from the Election Fee to the J&Okay administration is intriguing,” stated Nationwide Convention chief and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
Events which have demanded deferment of election usually are not even contesting, he identified.
“The Individuals’s Convention and the BJP usually are not contesting in Anantnag constituency. What have they got do with this election? They’re proving that they’re serving to somebody via the backdoor. If our views are ignored, it could imply that it’s a well-planned conspiracy to fiddle with elections,” he added.
The BJP says it isn’t their fault if the highway has been shut attributable to snowfall.
“The Mughal highway is open. I’ve myself travelled by the Mughal highway. What is that this excuse to defer elections?” stated Individuals’s Democratic Get together chief Mehbooba Mufti, who’s contesting from Anantnag.
“By delimitation, they’ve already rigged elections… Did not they know on the time of delimitation that except a tunnel is constructed between the Valley and Pir Panjal commuting stays tough for six months,” she added.
“There may be dangerous climate, heavy snowfall, connectivity via Mughal highway from Rajouri-Poonch to the Valley is closed… what is the fault of BJP? There was heavy snowfall on the Pir Panjal mountains,” stated Ravinder Raina, chief of J&Okay BJP.
Whereas 21 candidates are in fray in Anantnag, the competition is a triangular one between Mian Altaf Ahmad of Nationwide Convention, Mehbooba Mufti of PDP and J&Okay Apni Get together, believed to be backed by the BJP. The Congress and CPM are supporting the Nationwide Convention, which is a part of the opposition bloc INDIA.
