Srinagar, May 11 : Sajad Gani Lone on Monday launched an attack on the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference and People’s Democratic Party, alleging that both parties played a role in BJP’s victory in the recent Rajya Sabha election from Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, as per news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS), sajad said information accessed through the Right to Information Act indicated that PDP had not deployed a polling agent during the election process. He said the role of a polling agent is important under anti-defection rules as it helps parties keep track of voting by their legislators.
“When no polling agent is appointed, there is no monitoring mechanism during voting,” Sajad said, adding that the development raised serious political questions.
Referring to comments made by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah after the RTI details became public, Sajad questioned how the government remained unaware of the matter despite the Assembly and its administration functioning under its control.
“The Speaker, Assembly staff and the entire setup were under the present government. How did this come to light only after an RTI?” he asked.
Sajad Lone alleged that PDP’s decision not to appoint a polling representative and NC’s failure to object during the process together helped BJP secure the seat.
He further said the 2024 Assembly elections were fought on political slogans against BJP, but claimed that the developments during the Rajya Sabha polls told a different story.
The PC leader also said his party had earlier indicated support if the seat was offered to Congress, but alleged that the proposal was not accepted.
Raising another issue during the press conference, Sajad claimed that thousands of government-related jobs in Jammu and Kashmir had been handed over to outsourcing agencies. According to him, nearly 22,000 to 24,000 posts were affected.
“Hundreds of crores are being spent through outsourcing companies, but there is no clear public explanation on the matter,” he said.
He said political parties should explain their position on the Rajya Sabha election and outsourcing policy, adding that people deserve transparency on both issues.(KNS)
