Bandipora: A candidate of People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) and an independent candidate, contesting DDC election from Bandipora-A panchayat block Thursday alleged booth capturing and bogus voting by JKAP workers during the 6th phase of DDC election in Garoora village of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district.
Addressing a press conference in the presence of DDC candidates in Bandipora, senior PDP leader Nizamuddin Bhat Tuesday said the PAGD candidate from Bandipora- A block, Ghulam Mohi-ud-din Bhat and an independent candidate Mohammad Shafi had already made apprehensions about the said polling station and had written a letter to the election commission for adequate security measures for the smooth conduct of polls.
Bhat said the apprehensions made by these candidates were ignored, which resulted in booth capturing and bogus voting by the JKAP workers in Garoora village on the polling day
He said the workers of JKAP were intimidating voters and asking them show their voters slips to ensure if they have voted in their favour.
Notably, JKAP vice-president Usman Majeed has fielded his wife from Bandipora-A block to contest the DDC elections and Garoora village, where alleged booth capturing has been reported, is his native village.
Pertinently, a video from the said polling station has also gone viral on social media and other platforms, wherein they are asking the voters to vote in their favour.
Bhat said the polling agents of both the candidates were thrown out of the said polling stations and their electoral rolls were torn out while the police and security agencies acted as mute spectators. “The polling booth was hijacked and the workers of a particular party made undue interference in the polling process.”
“The hijacking of the polling booth and undue interference by some workers of a particular party gives a bad name as well as puts a question mark on the functioning of election machinery in a democratic setup. Votes of servicemen and employees who were not present in the village have been cast by the workers and polling agents of JKAP party,” he said.
Bhat said election commission should probe the matter fairly and it has been reported that CCTV cameras were installed in the said polling station, which also should be checked fairly and openly.
Bhat said a fair inquiry should be ordered and a re-poll should be held in the particular polling station to uphold the sanctity of democratic institutions.
The PAGD and the independent candidate from Bandipora-A block have also filed a written complaint before the state election commission, requesting for a fair inquiry and re-poll in the said polling station.
Meanwhile, deputy commissioner Bandipora, Dr Owais Ahmad said they have already initiated an inquiry into the matter and had already installed CCTV cameras in such sensitive polling stations.
He said they will check the CCTV footage and verify the facts thoroughly. “ a comprehensive inquiry report will be submitted to the concerned officer regarding this issue,” he said.
Spokesperson, JK Apni Party Bandipora Unit termed it baseless and said there is a concerted attempt from certain quarters to spoil the massive win of Apni Party in Bandipora, by raising false allegations against the party about bogus voting. Apni Party leadership believes that it is ploy to tarnish the image of the party because of the massive support of people to Apni Party candidates in DDC Election. PAGD is jittery over the massive response of people for the Apni Party. There is an attempt to create confusion on the eve of the polls all with an ulterior motive.
