Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 10: Speaker of Legislative Assembly Kavinder Gupta today directed the Government to provide security to state Congress president Ghulam Ahmad Mir during campaigning for his party candidate in Anantnag constituency, where Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is one of the candidate seeking mandate in the June 22 bypolls.
The directions by the Speaker came after Congress member Nawang Rigzin Jora alleged that Mr Mir was denied security cover to stop him from campaigning for his party candidate for Anantnag bypolls.
“The Government is afraid that Ms Mehbooba will lose the election, so they are trying to stop opposition from campaigning in the constituency. Mr Mir has been asking for security so that he could campaign for his candidate for the bypolls, but till date no security has been provided to him,” he alleged.
A win in this bypoll is very crucial for Mehbooba who is seeking to become a member of the State Assembly within the mandatory period of six months of her swearing-in as Chief Minister in April.
The Anantnag seat became vacant following the death of the then Chief Minister and Mehbooba’s father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in a Delhi hospital in January this year.