Jammu and Kashmir Congress unit chief and joint candidate of NC-Congress, G A Mir, Tuesday said that the Congress party will not participate in the elections until Mehbooba Mufti submits her resignation and governor rule in imposed in the state.“Congress party has decided that it will not participate in any election until Mehbooba Mufti resigns, and Governor rule is imposed in Jammu and Kashmir,” Mir told KNS.Mir’s statement comes hours after Election Commission of India postponed the by-polls in Anantnag parliamentary constituency, slated for Wednesday, to May 25.The ECI took the decision following the appeal to postpone the by-polls by PDP candidate Tasaduq Mufti, who is the brother of chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, following the killing of eight civilian young men by government forces on Sunday (polling day) in Budgam and Ganderbal during protests against the elections in Srinagar parliamentary constituency.
The voter turnout in by-polls was abysmally low at 7.14%.“The appeal to postpone by-polls was made by candidate of a party, not the government. Election Commission of India should have taken the view of all the other candidates also and then decide about postponing it,” Mir, who is contesting the by-polls against Tasaduq, said.He said that the opposition political parties had informed the ECI that situation was not conducive for conducting by-elections for the two parliamentary seats in Kashmir.“Perhaps she (Mehbooba Mufti) wanted her brother to win, she sold blood of people for elections. The present volatile situation is their creation and they are responsible for it,” Mir said.He said that when the situation was not conducive for by-polls after Sunday, how was it conducive a month earlier.“Mehbooba Mufti’s government had then claimed that the situation was conducive for by-polls. How did it deteriorate within a day,” he said. (KNS)