Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 15: Apni Party (AP) president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari has urged people to exercise their right to vote in forthcoming assembly elections in J&K to ensure the traditional politicians and exploiters are kept at bay from taking the benefit of poll boycotts.
He was addressing a party convention at Konibal Pampore today. “The election boycotts eventually damage the public interest. We must understand that in a democratic system of governance people are empowered by their right to vote, thus people must use this right to ensure their participation in the governance. Not only that people should use their right to vote, but they also must ensure they use this power wisely,” Bukhari added.
Giving the reference to the past, Apni Party president said, “We have seen how the election boycotts have ultimately helped the self-interested politicians who exploited people for their monetary and political gains.” He further said, “When people do not exercise their voting right, they automatically disempower themselves by giving free hand to the traditional politicians to manipulate the whole electoral exercise.”
“The traditional political parties and the so-called leaders would like you not to vote because they get benefitted by the poll boycotts. Therefore, this time, people must come out to cast their vote in the assembly elections when they are held in near future,” he said and added “To ensure good governance, the participation of the people is of utmost importance.”
Maintaining that Apni Party is the best alternative for J&K people to vote for, Bukhari said, “The prevailing awful situation in J&K is evidence of the misgovernance of the traditional political parties which remained at the helm in the state for years in the past and deceived you in the name of emotional slogans.”
General secretary of the Party Rafi Ahmad Mir, media advisor Farooq Andrabi, Chairman DDC Srinagar and the Party’s provincial secretary Altaf Malik and other senior leaders were present on the occasion.
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