J&K Assembly polls: In phase 1 on September 18, over 2.327 million voters, including 566,000 young voters, 1.176 million men, 1.151 million women, and 60 third-gender individuals, are eligible to vote
PDP youth president Waheed Para on Tuesday said the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir were an opportunity for the people to reclaim the space from where they were "unconstitutionally" evicted after abrogation of Article 370. Para, who filed his nomination papers for Pulwama assembly segment as a PDP candidate, said he would focus on restoration of dignity and identity of people of Kashmir. "This is an opportunity to raise the voice against injustices and the atmosphere of fear prevailing in Kashmir. This election is an opportunity for people of Jammu and Kashmir to reclaim the space that they have been evicted from unconstitutionally after August 5, 2019," Para told reporters Asked about the key points of his election campaign, Para, who is out on bail in a terror case, said, "The key agenda in this election is the identity and dignity of the people of Kashmir. This is the biggest issue for us, we have been raising it earlier and we will continue to talk about it". The youth
Peoples Democratic Party Chief Mehbooba Mufti promises Article 370 restoration, diplomatic dialogues with Pakistan, and return of Kashmiri pandits in J-K Assembly elections manifesto
Assembly elections in Jammu-Kashmir are scheduled from September 18 to October 1 in three phases. The counting of votes will be done on October 4.
Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured the people about holding of the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held a meeting here on Saturday to chalk out its action plan in preparation for the much awaited democratic exercise. The meeting, chaired by PDP vice-president Abdul Hameed Choudhary at Gandhi Nagar party headquarters, was primarily convened to gear up and strengthen the party cadres in Jammu region ahead of the assembly elections, party spokesperson Variender Singh Sonu told PTI. He said PDP general secretary Amrik Singh Reen, party additional general secretary Satpal Singh Charak, Jammu women wing president Surjit Kaur, district president Jammu Sohit Sharma and senior leaders Vijaya Dogra, Choudhary Chuni Lal and K K Sharma among others attended the meeting. The meeting discussed in detail the party's preparations for the upcoming assembly elections and the action plan to strengthen the party at the grass-roots level across th
The National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party have expressed their disapproval of the prosecution sanction against author Arundhati Roy and a former professor in Kashmir under the stringent UAPA for allegedly making provocative speeches at an event in Delhi in 2010. According to officials, the FIR against Roy and former Central University of Kashmir professor Sheikh Showkat Hussain was registered following the orders of the Court of Metropolitan Magistrate, New Delhi. Expressing disapproval of the move, the National Conference (NC) stressed the need to uphold the fundamental right of every citizen to free speech as guaranteed by Article 19 of the Constitution. "The NC expresses its strong disapproval of the prosecution of author Arundhati Roy and Dr Sheikh Showkat Hussain under the UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act). The use of anti-terror laws to suppress dissent and criminalize speech is deeply concerning," it said in a post on 'X'. "It is also imperative to note
The Peoples Democratic Party on Friday held a protest here against the recent terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, seeking an explanation over the "alarming" security situation contrary to the government's claims of restoration of peace in the Union Territory. Terrorists struck at four places in Reasi, Kathua and Doda districts in the Jammu province between Sunday and Wednesday, killing nine people, including seven pilgrims and a CRPF jawan. Seven security personnel, 41 pilgrims and a villager were also injured in the attacks. Two terrorists were also eliminated in one of the encounters in Kathua, while a massive search operation is on to track down and neutralise the other terrorists. Led by PDP additional general secretary Rajinder Manhas and spokesperson S Varinder Singh Sonu, dozens of party workers took out a protest march from the PDP office at Gandhi Nagar. The protesters pushed forward through police barricade and briefly held a sit-in near the Jammu-airport road before ...
Top leaders of the INDIA bloc will meet here on Saturday to discuss their strategy for the counting of votes on June 4, even as the TMC and PDP are set to skip the meeting. Senior leaders of the Congress, CPI-M, CPI, DMK, AAP, RJD, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharad Pawar) will hold discussions at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence this afternoon. TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already said they will not attend the meeting as there are elections in the state, while PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti is likely to skip the meeting. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann are also likely to attend the meeting, besides senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and K C Venugopal. DMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said party leader T R Baalu will attend the meeting. "June 4th will mark the beginning of a new dawn for India. In today's meeting of INDIA bloc leaders, DMK will be represented by o
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday claimed that outgoing calls on her mobile number have been suspended without any explanation. "I am not able to make any calls since morning. There is no explanation for this sudden suspension of services on the day of polling in the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency," Mehbooba told PTI. The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency, where voting is currently underway. The PDP also flagged the issue in a post on X. "Just ahead of the polls, Ms. Mehbooba Mufti's @MehboobaMufti cellular phone service has been abruptly snapped. Yesterday evening and in the early hours today, scores of PDP workers and polling agents were detained across polling belt," it said. On Friday, Mehbooba had written to the Election Commission claiming that PDP workers and polling agents were detained by police. "Many of our PDP polling agents & workers are being detained just before ...
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti alleged on Friday that the polling agents and workers of her party are being asked to report to police stations ahead of the voting for the Lok Sabha polls on Saturday. Mufti is contesting the election from the Anantnag-Rajouri seat, which is scheduled to go to polls on Saturday. "PDP polling agents and workers both are being asked to report to local police stations. Why are the people of South Kashmir being punished for showing their faith in democracy? @ECISVEEP @manojsinha_ @JmuKmrPolice" the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said in a post on X. Meanwhile, the PDP has appealed to the Election Commission for an urgent intervention to ensure free and fair elections. In a letter to the chief election commissioner, the party said it seeks the commission's immediate attention towards "a grave matter that threatens the integrity" of the polls. "It has come to our notice that the police in Anantnag, Shopian, and Kulgam have
Reaching out to displaced Kashmiri Pandits, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday assured them of her party's support in their return and rehabilitation in the valley, provided they "demonstrate boldness and come back to their homes". Mehbooba, a former chief minister who is fighting Lok Sabha elections from the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat, said no government at the Centre can rehabilitate the community on its own and if the elderly Kashmiri Pandits "take risk" and return, their children will follow. Today it is the BJP, maybe tomorrow Congress will come to power in Delhi but any party that is in power can never pick you up and take you to Kashmir. That is not going to happen and you have to show boldness on your part for your return to your homes in the valley and we will also support you, she said, addressing a gathering of Kashmiri Pandits here. The former J-K chief minister said she had suggested to Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, who had announced five marlas of land to the ...
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A turnout of 39 per cent among Kashmiri migrant voters was recorded in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections in the Srinagar parliamentary constituency on Monday. There has been a marked increase in the number of votes cast by migrants as compared to 2019 and 2014. However, scores of displaced Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu were unable to vote on Monday due to their names missing from the electoral rolls. "Thirty-nine per cent polling was registered by Kashmiri migrants across the country for the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency," Assistant Electoral Returning Officer for Migrants, Riaz Ahmed, told PTI tonight. He said that of this, 38.73 per cent of votes were polled in Jammu. "Of the total 17,240 votes, 6,700 votes were polled," he said. A voter turnout of around 38 per cent took place in the redrawn Srinagar Lok Sabha seat without any untoward incident on Monday, the highest since 1996 when the constituency in Kashmir recorded nearly 41 per cent polling. Even as Kashmiri Pand
A 14.94 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the first four hours of polling in the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency on Monday, higher than the overall turnout of the 2019 elections for the seat in Jammu and Kashmir, according to official figures. Voting started at 7 am in the constituency where polling is underway in the fourth round of the seven-phase general elections. The redrawn Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency has registered a poll percentage of 14.94 till 11 am, according to Election Commission figures. There are a total of 17.48 lakh eligible voters in Srinagar. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the total turnout for the seat was around 14.43 per cent, while in 2014, it was 25.86 per cent. This time, there was significant increase in turnout in most of the assembly segments of the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat. Kangan assembly segment recorded 22.68 per cent, Ganderbal 21.44, Chadoora 22.30, Chrar-e-Sharief 22.20, Khansahib 19.70 and Rajpora 20.86 per cent till 11 am. The turnout, .
Three generations of the Abdullah family on Monday cast their vote in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency, with National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah appealing to people to turn out in large numbers to exercise their franchise. NC president and former J-K chief minister Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar Abdullah and his two grandsons and first-time electors Zahir and Zamir? cast their vote at the polling station at the Burn Hall School here. "We have two first-time voters with us. It is for the first time that three generations of our family are voting together," Omar Abdullah, also a former chief minister, said. It is for the first time since 1998 that no member of the Abdullah family is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Srinagar. The only loss the NC suffered on this seat was in the 2014 general elections. While the BJP, which is in power at the Centre, is not contesting any of the three Lok Sabha seats, including Srinagar, in Kashmir, the party
The BJP may not be contesting any of the three Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir but the party is confident that the elections in the Valley will end the domination of the National Conference and People's Democratic Party in the region. A day before Srinagar goes to the polls, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh claimed on Monday that the Narendra Modi government's development initiatives following the abrogation of Article 370 coupled with peace in the region have ensured that people are looking beyond family-run parties like the two regional outfits besides the Congress. "These parties are responsible for all the turmoil Jammu and Kashmir went through right from the 90s when terrorism erupted and lakhs of Kashmiri Pandits had to flee their homes. "People know that be it the PDP, NC or the Congress, their concerns are not the priority of these parties as they only want to perpetuate their family rule," said Chugh, who is overseeing his party's campaign in the region besides in Lada
Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti will contest the Lok Sabha polls from the Anantnag constituency, the party announced on Sunday as it declared candidates for the three seats in the Valley. PDP Parliamentary Board Chief Sartaj Madni said the party's youth wing president Waheed Parra will contest the polls from Srinagar and former Rajya Sabha member Mir Fayaz from Baramulla. The candidates were announced by the party at a press conference addressed by Mufti and Madni. They said said the PDP will support the Congress on two Jammu region seats of Udhampur and Jammu.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has pooh-poohed the claims made by rival National Conference and PDP that his newly- formed party was in cahoots with the BJP and asked whether they are the 'B' teams of the saffron party going by their past coalition arrangements. Talking to PTI Videos, Azad, who is contesting on his Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), highlighted his party's primary focus on reinstating full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and not on the lines that union territories like Delhi and Puducherry enjoy. To a question that his party was seen as a B team of the BJP, Azad pointed out past associations of regional parties with the saffron party. "A and B team are those from the valley who have been ministers in the government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, father of the BJP, or those who enjoyed governance with the help of saffron party MLAs in the erstwhile state," he said. He highlighted his independent political stance, emphasising the need for ..
After PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti expressed unhappiness over the National Conference's decision to contest all three Lok Sabha constituencies in Kashmir, NC president Farooq Abdullah on Saturday said both parties are part of the INDIA coalition and the NC will win the seats for the alliance. Mehbooba Mufti had on Friday said that the NC's decision was "disappointing" and a "setback to the hopes of the people of J&K". She also accused the NC of reducing their Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) to a "joke". I do not know what she (Mufti) had said National Conference stands on its own feet and has won three seats (in the 2019 general elections). We are part of the alliance and she is also part of the alliance. If the National Conference wins (these seats) again, they will win it for the INDIA alliance and so what is the problem, Abdullah told reporters here. The NC leader said he is sure that the INDIA alliance will always grow because it is needed for the future of India ...
Political leaders are busy meeting party workers, holding rallies and conventions across the UT in the run-up to Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, writes Meraj Bhat