Kashmir police refutes Mehbooba Mufti's claim ahead of DDC polls: 'Not under house arrest'

On Friday, Kashmir Zone Police denied PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti's assertion that she has been placed under house arrest a day ahe of DDC polls. As per police, she has been asked to postpone her visit to Pulwama only due to security concerns. Earlier in day, Mufti lamented that she was being prevented from meeting family of PDP youth wing president Waheed Parra while BJP leers were allowed to move in every corner of Jammu and Kashmir.

Arrested on Wednesday, Parra was remanded to 15 days of NIA custody for allegedly conspiring with Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists to get ir support during 2019 Lok Sabha polls. While Mufti announced that she will hold a press conference in this regard, she claimed that media was not allowed to enter her residence in Srinagar. Maintaining that re was no written order regarding her detention, she accused local ministration of intimidating opposition and termed Kashmir as an "open-air prison". In le-up to DDC polls, both Mufti and NC vice president Omar Abdullah alleged that candidates of People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration are not being allowed to campaign freely under pretext of security situation. 

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Historic DDC polls

 DDC elections will be conducted in 8 phases between November 28 and December 19, with counting of votes scheduled for December 22. Requisite amendments in  Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989, and J&K Panchayati Raj Rules, 1996, have enabled setting up of District Development Councils, members of which shall be directly elected by voters in Union Territory. DDC which will have a term of 5 years replaces District Planning and Development Boards which were heed by a Cabinet Minister of erstwhile state of J&K.

dressing a press briefing, State Election Commissioner KK Sharma stated that delimitation has been done for respective constituencies and 280 DDCs have been identified across Union Territory. electoral rolls used in Sarpanch and Panch elections that have been updated on January 1, 2020, shall be used for DDC elections. Moreover, 25,000 central paramilitary personnel drawn from CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF and SSB are being sent by Centre for providing security cover during polls. 

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