J-K Police bars road shows by political parties ahead of Lok Sabha Polls: Report

Ahead o the Lok Sabha Elections, the political parties in Kashmir have been advised to avoid holding road-shows. Public rallies should only be held after proper security clearance, officials said on Tuesday. Political parties must inform the concerned deputy commissioners and senior superintendents of police before embarking on a road travel or choosing a place for a public convention.

“This should be done prior to the date of the proposed rally so that all the necessary security arrangements are put in place,” local daily Greater Kashmir quoted a police officer as saying.

According to the advisory, no roadshows will be allowed in any Lok Sabha constituency as it involves greater security threat, GK quoted another police official said.

“Public rallies will also be allowed at designated places only, that too after proper security clearance,” he said.

On Monday, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah filed nomination papers from Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar-Budgam constituency. Farooq Abdullah filed the papers at Deputy Commissioner’s office in Srinagar and was accompanied by NC vice president Omar Abdullah, party general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar and various other party leaders.

The Lok Sabha elections will begin on April 11 and continue for over a month till May 19 across seven phases, followed by counting of votes on May 23. The polling will be held on April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19 for 543 Lok Sabha seats across the country in which nearly 90 crore voters would be eligible to vote

Assembly elections will also be held in Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Odisha simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls, the Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora had said. However, elections for Jammu and Kashmir assembly have been deferred, the EC said citing security reasons.

Polling for parliamentary and assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal and Sikkim will be held in the first phase on April 11. Parliamentary and assembly polls will be held in Odisha across the first four phases.

Twenty-two states and union territories (UTs), including Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, will have Lok Sabha election in a single phase while it will be spread across seven phases in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal.