Nominees for boycott of Srinagar re-poll

Seven smaller parties and Independent candidates contesting the Srinagar Lok Sabha bypoll have appealed to the people to refrain from voting during the re-poll scheduled on Thursday.

Addressing a joint press conference here on Wednesday, they said the Election Commission (EC) did not take them into confidence before taking the decision for re-polling in 38 stations.

“The EC postponed the bypoll to Anantnag Parliament seat on the pretext of a volatile situation in the Valley. By that logic, how is the situation conducive for re-poll,” they asked.

These candidates are Mirza Sajad Beigh of Rashtriya Jankranti Party, Chetan Sharma of Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha, Sajad Reshi of Rashtriya Samajwadi Party (Secular), Bikram Singh of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and three Independents — Farooq Dar, Ghulam Hassan Dar and Mehraj Malik.

“We appeal to the people to stay away from these polls as we do not want to see our brothers die intentionally. The unfortunate incident that took place on April 9 was painful,” a candidate said.

The EC had on Monday postponed the Anantnag Lok Sabha bypoll after eight people died in large-scale violence in Budgam and Ganderbal districts of Srinagar Lok Sabha seat during the bypoll on April 9. However, the EC on Tuesday set April 13 as the date for the re-poll in 38 polling stations in Srinagar seat.

Meanwhile, the Opposition National Conference (NC) on Wednesday wrote to the chief electoral officer of Jammu and Kashmir and the EC, and put on record apprehensions and concerns about the electoral process.