BJP did everything to scuttle free, fair DDC elections: PCC

Excelsior Correspondent

RAJOURI, Feb 13: J&K Pradesh Congress Committee today alleged that ruling BJP and the UT Administration did everything possible to scuttle the free and fair conduct of elections to the Chairpersons and Vice Chairpersons of DDCs and gave open space for horse-trading.
In a press statement here today, JKPCC chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said that the elections were scuttled by deliberately staying away from the election process to ensure deferment of the polls, since the BJP sponsored opposition could not muster the majority. Nine out of fourteen members, kept waiting for two hours which formed the two thirds quoram, as required but the polls were got deferred despite written objections by the nine DDC members present for voting.
The BJP members were seen roaming around the DC office but did not enter the meeting hall to ensure deferment of polls scheduled today, since they couldn’t manage the majority. Is not fraud and cheating with the electorate as this strategy was adopted in other districts too, Sharma asked.
He said since results of elections of DDC members, all such foul tactics were adopted by the Government on the behest of ruling BJP right from change the roster of reservation for women and SC/ST and delay in the holding of chairpersons elections, non insertion of the anti-defection law and open voting system, to deferment of elections through these modes of deliberately created deficient quoram in the meeting of scheduled elections.
This has exposed the ruling BJP and its allies for adopting all sorts of manipulations including intimidations, harrassments, resort to illegal and arbitrary change of rules and other such modes to manage the elections of district heads against the spirit of the mandate of the people in respective districts, PCC chief spokesperson alleged.