Anantnag bypolls deferred to May 25

The Anantnag seat fell vacant in June last year after Mehbooba Mufti won the assembly polls and resigned from the Lok Sabha.

Shopian, April 10: School designated as polling station for Anantnag bypoll was set on fire on Monday in Shopian. A Panchayat Ghar was also set ablaze in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Following which Anantnag bypoll was deferred by the Election Commission of India. The election will now be held on May 25. The EC deferred the bypoll citing inputs by the Jammu and Kashmir government that law-and-order situation is not conducive.

The by-election was to be held on April 12. The EC also pointed to the large scale violence which took place in Srinagar on Sunday during a similar bypoll.

In the Srinagar bypolls only 6.5 percent voters had turned out to vote which was the worst turnout in 30 years. The violence on the poll day claimed lives of eight civilians as the protesters and security forces clashed.

There were instances of hurling of petrol bombs at the polling stations. Protesters were trying to damage EVMs and thereby preventing voters from exercising their franchise in Srinagar-Budgam parliamentary seat bypoll.

Former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah had asked who should be blamed for the mess Kashmir is in after record low voter turnout. The Congress has demanded resignation of CM Mehbooba Mufti for the complete failure on the law and order situation in the state.

It is noteworthy that June 1 has been set as the date by which election process should be completed in Anantnag. The Anantnag seat fell vacant in June last year after Mehbooba Mufti won the assembly polls and resigned from the Lok Sabha.

OneIndia News