By-polls: Violence, firing incidents in Madhya Pradesh

Bypolls in two constituencies each in Karnataka, Assam, Rajasthan, one each in West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi passed off peacefully. Stone-pelting was reported from over two dozen places across the three districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal which constitute the Srinagar constituency. 

The main contestants for the seat are Farooq Abdullah, the joint candidate of the National Conference and the Congress, and Nazir Ahmad Khan, the ruling PDP’s nominee. 

Army was called in to assist security forces control a rampaging mob which pelted stones and hurled petrol bombs to set a polling booth ablaze in Ganderbal. Firing incidents were also reported from at two places in Madhya Pradesh after Congress and BJP workers clashed during the by-election in Ater Assembly seat. 

The MP election commission, however, dismissed reports of booth capturing and said security was tightened after the incidents. Over 80 percent turnout was witnessed in the polling for the Dholpur Assembly constituency where the ruling BJP is engaged in a fierce fight with opposition Congress and a dozen independent candidates. 

BJP-ruled Assam’s Dhemaji seat had a turnout of 66.97 per cent while it was 65 per cent in Bandhavgarh and 60 per cent in Ater in MP where BJP is in office. An estimated 76 and 78 per cent of voters exercised their franchise in the bypolls to Nanjanagud and Gundlupet Assembly constituencies in Karnataka on Sunday. 

The turnout in Kanthi Dakshin Assembly seat in TMC-ruled West Bengal was 82 per cent. Meanwhile it was only 47 per cent in Delhi’s Rajouri Garden Assembly seat on Sunday.

Internet services will remain suspended in the entire Kashmir valley till conclusion of the by-poll for Anantnag Lok Sabha seat on April 12, official sources said here on Sunday. Internet services in three districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal, which the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency straddles, were shut down on Saturday midnight as a precautionary measure to prevent floating of rumours by anti-national elements. There were reports that Pakistan-based groups were engaged in spreading ‘disinformation’ on the eve of polls, official sources said.

Expressing distress over the death of civilians in firing by security forces, Jammu and Kashmir CM Mehbooba Mufti said that she was pained that most of them were teenagers who were yet to understand the intricacies of the issues. Peaceful means and not violence was the way ahead, she said. “I am distressed to know that many of those killed were young or teenagers who were yet to understand the intricacies of the issues,” Mehbooba said. The chief minister said she has consistently held that peaceful means and not violence are the only way ahead in getting state out of the present difficulties.

The AAP blamed ‘confusion’ over poll dates behind the low turnout in the Rajouri Garden by-election, which has been dubbed as a referendum on Arvind Kejriwal government by the opposition parties. AAP candidate Harjeet Singh alleged that the election commission was ‘lax’ in responding to complaints of EVM malfunction in a few polling stations. “Many people confused the date with that of the municipal polls. There is a complete lack of awareness. On top of that voting machines have malfunctioned in four to five centres but the election office is taking time to respond. Police is also quite uncooperative,” Singh said.