Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 23: The former Union Minister and MLA, Prof Chaman Lal Gupta has impressed upon the Election Commission of India to pay special attention to Jammu and Kashmir to ensure free and fair elections.
He said except two occasions foul play during the elections in past had led to many problems including that militancy which had broken out in the wake of 1987 Assembly elections.
In a statement, Prof Gupta recalled that in 1987 too, there was coalition of the National Conference – Congress when they indulged in foul play resulting in great resentment and the situation was exploited by Pakistan to launch a proxy war and the results were obvious.
Now again there is coalition of the same parties, hence there is a need for a special attention, he said and maintained that any wrong in this sensitive part of the country is being exploited by the elements hostile to India.
Prof Gupta also pleaded for total revision of electoral rolls and fresh delimitation of constituencies for due representation to all three regions of the State.
In this connection, he pointed out that Jammu region is having almost double the geographical area and equal number of electorates to that of Kashmir but Jammu has been given two Lok Sabha and 37 Assembly seats against three Lok Sabha and 46 Assembly seats to the Valley, thus, creating a feeling of political dominance. Above all an embargo has been mysteriously put that unlike other parts of the country, there would be no delimitation till 2026. In this mischief the Congress is playing second fiddle to the design of National Conference, he alleged and said thus regional tensions are being created which are detrimental to unity of this State and not in the interest of the country.
Prof Gupta also alleged political engineering with the formulation of electoral rolls and stressed for total revision to have fair play. He asked for explanation that how the number of voters of Jammu areas has come down and more so, in Jammu too, in certain wards there has been abnormal increase or decrease during past decade. All this needed a deep look and exposition of the guilty hands.
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