‘ECI yet to notify about fresh dates’
Srinagar: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has not made any headway in holding the by-polls on the Anantnag Parliament seat which is without representation from more than a year now, after Mehbooba Mufti resigned from the seat to become the chief minister.
Officials in the Electoral Office in the state said that Election Commission of India (ECI) has not forwarded any communication to the state after the polls were deferred due to ‘fragile’ situation.
“ECI has not notified us about the fresh dates yet,” a senior officer in the Chief Electoral Office here told KNS.
Normally, the by-polls to any seat are held six-months after it becomes vacant, due to resignation or death of the serving legislators, but the by-polls on Anantnag seat have not been held since April 4 last year when Mehbooba Mufti resigned as MP to take over as chief minister of the state after her father, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s demise on January 7, 2016 in New Delhi’s AIIMS hospital.
The ECI deferred the by-polls on the seat in April this year following volatile security situation in the valley and violence and killings of eight civilians during polling for Srinagar parliament seat which were held in two phases in April.
The polls for Anantnag and Srinagar, which had fallen vacant due to resignation of Tariq Hameed Karra, were scheduled to be held in April.
The ECI deferred the elections on parliamentary by-polls to Anantnag following demands by the PDP candidate, Tasaduq Mufti who was contesting against PCC president G A Mir.
Since May 2, no fresh date has been given by the ECI to conduct the by-polls to the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency.
(With inputs from KNS)
