JAMMU, Apr 26: With some candidates seeking postponement of polls in the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat due to adverse weather conditions, Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina on Friday said they will respect any decision by the Election Commission in this regard.”It is a democracy. As a citizen of this country, we respect the Election Commission. If the Election Commission takes any decision (with regard to deferring elections in the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat), we will respect their decision,” he told reporters here.
Raina said that only two candidates could file their nominations from the Rajouri-Poonch region, while the majority have filed their nominations from the valley due to the closure of the Mughal road connecting Kashmir with the Rajouri-Poonch belt.
The BJP leader said that National Conference leader Omar Abdullah and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti will also face problems as the road connecting Anantnag with Rajouri-Poonch is closed due to snowfall and landslides.
”Omar and Mehbooba will have problems when they will be coming to Rajouri-Poonch for campaigning. Anyone going to Anantnag from Rajouri-Poonch for campaigning will also have problems. The road has been closed due to snowfall and rains,” he said.
Raina said the BJP has nothing to do with the Election Commission taking any decision in this regard or reviewing the situation.
”Why is the BJP continuously being targeted by Omar and Mehbooba Mufti? Mehbooba took five hours to reach from Pir ki Gali to Poonch,” he said.
The BJP leader said it is the people who will decide the fate of the parties. ”We are also concerned about the people due to weather conditions,” he said.
The J&K BJP chief also brought up the issue of the failure of candidates to file nomination papers due to the closure of the Mughal road.
”25 candidates have filed forms from this seat. 23 are from Kashmir, while only two could file nominations from Rajouri-Poonch. The road was closed and they could not reach Anantnag to file the nomination papers,” he said. Abdullah and Mufti have asked the Election Commission not to postpone polls in Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat.
The former chief ministers made the appeal after the Election Commission sought a report from Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo and the chief electoral officer on representations submitted by some parties and three candidates seeking rescheduling of elections in the constituency due to adverse weather conditions, including snowfall on Mughal road. (Agencies)
