Lok Sabha Elections: The Election Commission on Tuesday revised the date of polling in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency. As per the revised schedule, voting is set to be held on May 25 instead of May 7.
There are 20 candidates in the race including former chief minister and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and noted religious leader Mian Altaf. Earlier, the election was scheduled to be held on May 7. Except for the poll date, there are no changes in any part of the schedule, officials said, as reported by news agency PTI.
In an official communication, the apex poll body said that various representations were received from different political parties of Jammu and Kashmir for shifting the date of election to the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency. These parties had cited various logistic, communication and natural barriers of connectivity turning out as a hindrance in campaigning which in turn amounted to a lack of fair opportunities for the contesting candidates in the parliamentary constituency.
"The Commission, after considering a report from UT administration as well as analysing the ground situation prevailing in the said constituency, has decided under Section 56 of Representation of People Act, 1951, to revise the date of poll" from May 7 to May 25, it said, as quoted by PTI.
The EC officials said the Commission has only revised the poll date for the Lok Sabha seat and all statutory processes including nomination, scrutiny and withdrawal are already over with 20 contesting candidates. The leaders, who had petitioned the EC, included Jammu and Kashmir BJP unit chief Ravinder Raina, Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari, People's Conference leader Imran Ansari and others.
The Election Commission had asked the Jammu and Kashmir administration to immediately submit a detailed report on road conditions, weather and accessibility to the region which covers parts of South Kashmir and areas in Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu region. Former chief ministers of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah (National Conference) and Mehbooba Mufti (PDP) had urged the Election Commission last week not to postpone polls.