Alleges EC-BJP collusion, says ruling party is answering for poll body; seeks reversal of all SIRs, restoration of deleted voters
Suhail Khan
Srinagar, Oct 09: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday demanded the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner over the ongoing voter list controversy, alleging collusion between the Election Commission and the BJP and accusing the poll body of acting at the ruling party’s behest.
Speaking to a national TV channel, CM Omar Abdullah as per The Web Story/The Varmul Post said he would raise the issue of “voting theft” during his address to the President, calling it a fundamental threat to democracy.
Voting theft is a very big issue. I am constantly raising it. It is an issue because the foundation of democracy is elections. If the elections are not correct, then what is democracy? Omar said, adding that while the matter was earlier dismissed, it is now in front of the people through the newspapers.
Pointing to an apparent split within the Election Commission, the J&K CM said the two Election Commissioners were not in agreement with the CEC on the issue and did not share a common opinion. In such a situation, we want the CEC to leave its post, he said.
The Chief Minister also demanded that all Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercises carried out in the voter lists be reversed and that deleted voters be restored. All the SIRs that have been filed in the voter list, the voters who have been deleted, only to benefit the BJP — they should be reversed. The old voter lists should be restored. And the elections should be clean, he said.
Asked about the BJP responding to his allegations, Omar Abdullah questioned why the ruling party was answering on behalf of the Election Commission. The question is with the Election Commission. But the answer is given by the BJP. We are not asking questions from the BJP. We are asking questions from the Election Commission. But I don’t know why it is necessary for the BJP to answer for the Election Commission, he said.
The BJP and the Election Commission have such a relationship that the BJP is now talking for the Election Commission, he alleged.
Citing the recent delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah said the people of the Union Territory had already been victims of a flawed process. Our delimitation happened. Why did it happen? Only to benefit the BJP. Seven seats were increased. How many of the seven seats did the BJP win? Six. That’s how you know. Even then we were saying that the Election Commission is in collusion with the BJP to spoil the people’s mandate, he said.
This is the same matter, he added, noting that the issue of statehood restoration for Jammu and Kashmir remains pending.
