Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Feb 4: While urging the Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha to ensure free and fair elections to elect chairpersons of District Development Councils, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) vice president and former MLC Gulam Nabi Monga today said any attempts of horse- trading or pressurizing elected members to vote for a particular party will further undermine the credibility of democratic institutions and will render the DDC elections meaningless.
In a statement issued to the press, Monga said already there are allegations that a particular political party and its proxy was resorting to horse-trading and arm twisting of the elected candidates from other parties to change their loyalties.
“Even some elected DDC members have on record said that they are being pressurized to leave their parties and join a particular political party. Some candidates were reportedly abducted with the help of the police and forced to change sides. They are being threatened with police cases and the will of the voters is being undermined,” Monga rued.
“To facilitate a particular party and its proxies to clinch the DDC chairperson posts, some elected DDC members have been reportedly put in preventive custody. This is nothing but murder of democracy which in long run will be disastrous,” the Congress leader warned.
He urged the Lieutenant Governor to direct the J&K UT administration and the police to ensure that no muscle power is used to facilitate switchovers and defections. “The LG needs to act fast to stop horse trading to save the sanctity of democratic institutions,” Monga cautioned.
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