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SRINAGAR: National Conference (NC) candidate from the Srinagar parliamentary constituency Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi Thursday said he would raise the voices in the hearts of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in the Parliament if he is elected.

He also criticised abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution calling it “unacceptable”.

“In 2019, without asking us, a unilateral decision was forced upon us. August 5 is a black day for us. They took democracy away from us and with that our identity,” he said.

Mehdi, an influential Shia leader, has been a strong critic of the Centre’s decisions.

SRINAGAR: National Conference (NC) candidate Ruhullah Mehdi officially filed his nomination for the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, accompanied by a contingent of party stalwarts including NC President Farooq Abdullah, Vice President Omar Abdullah, Congress State President Vikar Rasool Wani, and other prominent leaders and supporters.

The filing of nominations was marked by a strong show of unity and support from within the NC ranks.

Amidst the nomination process, Omar Abdullah, in a pointed statement, took aim at the BJP’s electoral strategy in the Kashmir Valley. He emphasized that the BJP had refrained from direct contestation and instead deployed what he referred to as “A, B, C teams” in the electoral fray. Omar said, “We have seen such elections before. Now it is absolutely clear that all of them are against us. BJP has announced support to Mehbooba Mufti. Two of their leaders have announced support to Mehbooba Mufti in Rajouri, Poonch. BJP, all their A, B, C teams, Raj Bhavan are all together contesting elections against the National Conference.”

Responding to queries regarding the BJP’s alleged exploitation of religious sentiments for political gains, Omar Abdullah denounced the trend, highlighting it as a recurring theme in BJP’s electoral playbook. “When they feel that the ground is slipping from under their feet, they start talking in terms of religion again,” Omar said. The former Chief Minister alluded to recent political attacks, particularly targeting Muslims, following the first phase of voting.(KNO)

SRINAGAR: Amid tight security arrangements, voting began in the second phase of the Lok Sabha election in Jammu and Kashmir’s Jammu constituency on Friday, with more than 17.81 lakh voters eligible to exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 22 candidates.

The Jammu Lok Sabha seat is one of the 89 constituencies in 13 states and Union territories across the country where polling is being held.

The polling began at 7 am at all 2,416 polling stations across the constituency and it is going on smoothly, officials said.

Incumbent MP Jugal Kishore Sharma of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is eyeing a third straight term in the Lower House of Parliament after he won the seat in the 2014 and 2019 elections.

This is the first major poll battle in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 and bifurcation of the erstwhile state into Union territories on August 5, 2019.

Voters were seen headed towards polling stations early in the morning, the officials said, adding that long queues of voters were seen at various polling stations in Jammu city.

More than 15,000 polling staff, including reserves, have been deployed while security arrangements are foolproof to ensure free-and-fair polls.

“Security and other related arrangements are in place to ensure free, fair and peaceful voting. A contingency plan has also been worked out to ensure no disruption in polling along the borders,” Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pandurang K Pole said.

He expressed hope that the polling would remain peaceful. This is the second Lok Sabha seat in Jammu and Kashmir to go to polls. Earlier, polling was held in the Udhampur seat on April 19, recording a voter turnout of more than 68 per cent.

A total of 17,80,835 voters, including 9,21,095 men, 8,59,712 women and 28 third-gender voters, are enrolled in the Jammu Lok Sabha constituency. The officials said there are 10,498 differently-abled voters and 666 voters above the age of 100 years.

A total of 2,416 polling stations, including 158 along the International Border and the Line of Control (LoC), have been set up across the four districts of Jammu, Samba, Reasi and Rajouri (the Kalakote-Sunderbani Assembly segment), they added.

“More than 15,000 polling staff, including reserves, will be deployed on the polling day. Among the districts, Jammu has 50 critical booths while Samba has around 12 border polling stations,” an official said.

The officials said 10 polling booths will be managed by women, 10 by specially-abled persons and nine by youngsters. In addition to the 11 Assembly constituencies of Jammu district, the Jammu Lok Sabha seat includes the Kalakote-Sunderbani constituency of Rajouri, the Gulabgarh, Reasi and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi segments of Reasi district and the Ramgarh, Samba and Vijaypur segments of Samba district.

Jammu recorded a voter turnout of 74 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Twenty-two candidates are in the fray. A direct contest is on the cards between Sharma and INDIA bloc candidate Raman Bhalla, the working president of the Jammu and Kashmir Congress.

Jagdish Raj of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and advocate Ankur Sharma of the Ekam Sanatan Bharat Dal are two other prominent faces contesting the seat. Sharma defeated Bhalla by a margin of more than three lakh votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

SRINAGAR, Apr 24: The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) youth president Waheed Rehman Parra and Apni Party candidate Mohammad Ashraf Mir today filed nomination papers from the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency which is going to polls in the fourth phase of elections on May 13. So far, 17 candidates have filed nominations from the constituency.
Accompanied by senior party leaders, including PDP general secretary Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura, Parra filed the nomination papers before Srinagar Deputy Commissioner Bilal Mohi-ud-Din Bhat, who is the Returning Officer of the constituency.
Talking to reporters later, Parra said the PDP will raise the voice of people of Kashmir in the Parliament.
“In this election, our endeavour is that the people of Kashmir will make Mehbooba Mufti’s team successful so that we raise your voice in the biggest institution and represent your issues there,” he said.

Parra said that the PDP is the only party which has raised the voice of people in the last five years. “Our endeavour is to take this voice to New Delhi, Parliament and to the people of the country,” he added.

Asked about National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah’s jibe that PDP is the ‘C’ team of the BJP, Parra said, “We do not want to lower the political discourse. We also appeal them to balance the discourse. The people here are in distress, they have no interest in such arguments and accusations. They want to know what we can give them.”
“We hope we will win all three seats,” he added.

Apni Party provincial president Kashmir Mohammad Ashraf Mir, also filed his nomination papers for the Srinagar Parliamentary seat today.
After filing his nomination papers, Mir appealed to people to use their votes wisely and reject the traditional parties in these elections.
“I urge people to use their vote wisely and elect Apni Party candidates who are committed to working for the peace, prosperity, and development of Jammu and Kashmir. This is the time for people to reject traditional parties and their leaders, who have been deceiving them for years and decades through deceptive political narratives and false promise,” he told reporters.
“Over the past, these parties kept people busy with emotional slogans like ‘Raishumari’, ‘Autonomy’, ‘Self-rule’, and so on. While keeping people busy with emotional sloganeering and unattainable goals, the leaders of these parties created empires for themselves. They created their family rule here, making the future of their young generations secure. Therefore, it is important people reject these exploitative politicians by the power of their vote,” he added.

The last date for filing nominations for the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency is April 25, while it goes to polls on May 13. So far, 17 candidates including 14 Independents have filed their nomination papers.
NC candidate Aga Ruhullah is filing his nomination papers tomorrow.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) youth president and a contestant from Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency Waheed Parra Wednesday said that the party will try its best to represent sentiment of youth in the Parliament democratically.

Parra who filed nomination for Srinagar Lok Sabha seat today, told Kashmir News Service (KNS) exclusively that our effort in this election is to reach every household of Jammu and Kashmir and seek votes and confidence of people who have been left unattended from last five years.

He said PDP represents youth of Jammu & Kashmir and their aspirations, and assures people of the region that we will become your voice.

He appealed voters to give us an opportunity to serve your sentiments in the Parliament. “Give us a chance and see how PDP will represent people in New Delhi’s Parliament,” he said.

Parra asserted that people of Jammu and Kashmir are craving and have urge to connect with PDP as this is only party who flagged up their concerns in odd and even. “After August 05, 2019 no political leader dared to speak up for their people. Every one remained tight lipped, and it was only Mehbooba Mufti who took a stand and stood for people,”, he said.

“PDP will try its best to represent people’s sentiment democratically,” Parra added.

He continued that many elements were thinking for boycott, but I appeal to my people especially youth to vote whosoever they want to elect. “Your vote is inevitable for change,” he added. (KNS)

SRINAGAR: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the Srinagar constituency, Waheed-ur-Rahman Parra, is the poorest candidate in fray with a house valued at a mere Rs 32 lac and a monthly earning not exceeding Rs, 40,000.

However, his opponent from Apni Party Muhammad Ashraf Mir is much richer than Parra having almost Rs 31 Crore net worth.

The poll affidavit Parra has submitted before the Returning Officer in Srinagar reveals that he has not been able to earn anything from the year 2020 to 2022 for being under detention.
Parra, in his poll affidavit, has declared that FIR No 05/2020 at NIA Jammu Police Station and FIR No 31/2020 at CIK Srinagar Police Station are registered against him.

The sections under which Parra has been charged include: Section 18, 19, 20, 23, 38, 13, 17, 18, 39, 40 of the UAPA Act (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act), UAPA read with 7/25 of the Arms Act, Section 120/B, 3/04 of ES Act, Section 121/A, 124/A of IPC (Indian Penal Code).

In 2022-23, his income was Rs 4,51,270, while in 2023-24, it was Rs. 4,70,310. His monthly earnings are not more than a mere 39 thousand rupees. He has Rs. 1 lac cash in hand.

He doesn’t have any savings or fixed deposits. However, he has ancestral land valuing approximately Rs 2 crore.

He has immovable assets worth 18 lac and an ancestral house in Pulwama valuing Rs 32 lac. Furthermore, as per the affidavit, he has completed a Master’s in International Relations (Peace and Conflict Studies) from the Islamic University of Kashmir.

On the other hand, Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party candidate for the Srinagar Parliament constituency, Mohammad Ashraf Mir, in his poll affidavit, has declared details of both movable and immovable assets, including those of his spouse and dependents.

Srinagar, Apr 23: Jammu and Kashmir National Conference President Dr Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday strongly criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent remarks about the ‘mangalsutra’, saying Islam doesn’t condone disrespect towards other religions and that a Muslim would never snatch a Hindu woman’s mangalsutra.
The mangalsutra is a sacred symbol of marriage in Hindu culture, particularly prevalent in India. It is a necklace worn by Hindu women which symbolises the marital bond between husband and wife, signifying their union, love, and commitment to each other.
Expressing disappointment, Abdullah said Islam advocates respect for all faiths and asserted that anyone who disrespects another religion does not understand Islam.
“Islam promotes love and respect for all, including Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims,” Dr Farooq said while talking to reporters here.
Regarding the BJP’s proposal for ‘One Nation, One Election’, he said such a system wouldn’t be feasible due to the diverse nature of India’s states. He criticised the BJP’s alleged plan to amend the Constitution to consolidate power.
The NC chief also questioned the removal of the Chief Justice of India from the Election Commission’s selection committee and raised concerns about the imbalance in the committee’s composition.
Speaking about the uncertainty surrounding the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Abdullah expressed uncertainty about their timing, suggesting that the Supreme Court’s directives might be ignored by those in power.
He urged political leaders, including Ghulam Nabi Azad, Sajad Lone, and Altaf Bukhari, to consider the BJP’s treatment of Muslims before aligning with the party.
“I am cautioning you against being deceived by the BJP’s current stance towards Muslims and their future intentions,” he added.

Srinagar, Apr 23: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday claimed that attempts are being made to once again tear apart India’s communal fabric and that the slogans of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) crossing the 400 mark are proving hollow with each passing day.
Addressing the media persons in Anantnag district, she accused the BJP of destroying the social fabric of the majority Hindu community itself by radicalising and criminalising its youth for the lust of power.
“BJP-NDA knows the results will be in favour of the INDIA alliance, and the youth of the country have understood the gimmicks of the saffron brigade. Youth want an end to inflation and massive unemployment. They (BJP) are busy sowing the seeds of discord and creating new fault lines. People must remain cautious and not allow the divisive elements to succeed in their nefarious agendas,” she said.
Mufti added that it is extremely condemnable that the BJP rakes up nonsensical issues like ‘Mangalsutra’ and creates fear psychosis that Congress will give everything to Muslims.
“For 50 years, Congress has ruled the country. One may ask the BJP how many properties were taken away from Hindus and given to Muslims in five decades. In fact, all major institutions of the country were built by the Congress,” she said.
The former chief minister said that India reached the moon and scanned new horizons – and this all happened during the Congress rule. BJP, on the other hand, instead of providing jobs and bringing down the lethal inflation, is instigating the youth and pitting them against each other so that it could garland the killers and tear apart the country’s secular fabric, she said.
She added, “We have seen the plight of the women wrestlers in the country and how the accused is sitting in the BJP’s lap, how Ram Rahim Singh who raped Hindu girls is seeking votes for the BJP.”
Mufti said the PDP is part of the INDIA alliance and supports Rahul Gandhi. “Rahul is fighting for the safeguard of the country’s constitution, for people’s dignity and their rights, for the protection of democratic institutions. We Support Rahul Gandhi and the INDIA alliance out of conviction, not dependent on their reciprocity. His courage in fighting hate with a message of love and inclusiveness is commendable,” she said
Mehbooba said that the ongoing polls in Jammu and Kashmir hold crucial importance as they are not being fought for mere roads and drains but for the far greater cause – for dignity and restoration of lost rights.
“I feel empowered when I see people in such huge numbers coming out for my support. People have understood that they need a strong voice in the parliament. There is suffocation engulfing us all. We need to get rid of this. It’s not an issue between any parties within J&K but the issues for us are with BJP who are our common oppressors. We won’t be cowed down or silenced,” she said. “Civil liberties and restoration of our constitutional rights, finding a solution to the larger issue of Kashmir has been our focus and with the public endorsement in these elections we can bring forth to the country the realities of post-2019 J&K.”

Srinagar, Apr 23: People’s Conference president Sajad Gani Lone on Tuesday took a dig at the former chief minister and National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah for his remarks against him and other political leaders in Jammu and Kashmir.
Farooq had targetted Lone, DPAP chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad and Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari, accusing them of supporting the Bharatiya Janata Party. He also prayed that they may be “guided to the right path”.
Addressing a press conference here, Sajad said that Abdullah should focus on practising Islam at home before advising others on religious matters. He suggested that religious scholars should be the ones to determine who qualifies as a Muslim.
The PC chief accused Farooq of being paid to stir up controversy and questioned his sincerity in criticising him, Bukhari and Azad regarding their stance towards the BJP.
Lone mentioned the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992, where thousands of Muslims lost their lives. He highlighted the involvement of the BJP and Shiv Sena in the demolition, questioning Abdullah’s past association with these parties when Omar Abdullah served as Foreign Minister. Now, with the BJP allied with Shiv Sena, Lone raised doubts about their commitment to Muslim interests.
Asserting his pride in Islam and respect for all religions, Sajad criticised the former chief minister for participating in Hindu religious practices like singing bhajans, which are not part of Islamic tradition. He accused Abdullah of promoting a “new brand of Islam” and called for religious scholars to determine authentic adherence to the faith.
Lone also accused the NC chief of playing the politics of polarisation, citing a statement Abdullah made during the Bihar elections stating people here support China. “Farooq’s silence after the elections implies a political agenda rather than genuine concern,” he said.
In a direct jab at Abdullah’s credibility, Sajad insisted that Abdullah should introspect on his own household’s practice of Islam before lecturing others. He rejected the idea of being a fraction of a Muslim, asserting that one must be fully committed to the faith.
He concluded by accusing Abdullah of harming Kashmiri Muslims in the past and now extending this harm to Muslims across India through digital means. “Farooq Abdullah has betrayed the interests of Muslims for his own gain,” Lone said.

Kulgam, Apr 23: Former Chief Minister and Vice President of National Conference (NC), Omar Abdullah asserted on Tuesday that People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Mehbooba Mufti is receiving support from the Bharatiya Janata Party, citing the recent statement of BJP leader Syed Mushtaq Bukhari. Omar made these remarks while addressing a rally in Kund in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district.
Bukhari urged members of the Pahari community to vote for Mehbooba Mufti in the ongoing Lok Sabha election. The Anantnag-Rajouri Parliamentary seat is going for polls on May 07 and the PDP President is among several political leaders who are fighting elections from there.

“We are very thankful to BJP for granting reservation to Paharis. The Narendra Modi-led government shaped our future and our 30 years of struggle paid off,” Bukhari told media persons.
However, he cautioned the community to remain vigilant from the nefarious designs of those who used the Pahari community for their political gains and appealed to them to vote for Mehbooba Mufti. “I think it is better to vote for Mehbooba Mufti as she is the only political leader who speaks for the Pahari community,” he said.
Omar questioned why the PDP candidate was targetting the NC more in her speeches rather than criticising the BJP, which he accused of bringing destruction to Jammu and Kashmir.

“I received an answer to my question yesterday and was surprised, although not entirely, as we knew what was brewing inside the PDP. I wasn’t sure if this would become clear to the public. I am thankful to Surunkot leader Mushtaq Bukhari, who openly stated that the BJP is supporting Mehbooba Mufti and that a similar transition is being followed as in 2014,” he said.

A similar thing happened in 2014 when the PDP urged people to vote against the BJP and in their favour. “Later, the party joined hands with the Saffron party. Now, the reality has come to light,” he said.
The former CM further said, “Altaf Bukhari, who now leads his own party, was a very close colleague of Mufti Sayeed and Mehbooba Mufti back then. Bukhari has also revealed that before the elections, Mufti and Narendra Modi had joined hands and promised to support each other. Now, in 2024, ten years later, their relations remain the same. It’s not just me saying this, but BJP’s senior leader Mushtaq Bukhari is also saying so… and now there’s nothing to hide,” he said, adding, “Now Mehbooba will go to Delhi and try to force Bukhari to change his statement, but changing the statement wouldn’t benefit anyone, and now the truth is in front of the people.”

Abdullah highlighted the plight of parents who can’t afford to travel to jails to meet their sons. He promised the people that after the parliamentary elections, when assembly elections would be held in August or September, every youth imprisoned in jails would have their cases reviewed, and the process of releasing them would begin. “The atmosphere of fear and threat would be dismantled,” he said.
The NC leader said people should not fall into the “trap of falsehoods” from the previous government, claiming they couldn’t accomplish anything. He cited the renovation of the Zirayat Sharif Kund, saying that the previous two MLAs failed to complete it. He promised the people of Kund that he would complete the renovation, where the NC government, during its rule, had left off.
Later in the afternoon, Omar addressed another rally at Dooru, where he told reporters that Mushtaq Bukhari’s statement has unequivocally revealed PDP’s alignment as the “C team” of BJP.