Bukhari demands simultaneous Assembly, LS elections in J&K

Apni Party president, Altaf Bukhari today urged the Election Commission of India to hold simultaneous Legislative Assembly and the Parliamentary elections in the Jammu and Kashmir. Bukhari raised this demand while addressing one day workers’ meeting at Bishnah. The meeting was organized by Apni Party leader, Ashwani Kumar. “The Govt of India says we shall hold Legislative Assembly elections as well as Parliamentary elections together. Then, they constituted a committee, but declined later, citing various reasons for elections in other States of the country,” reminded Bukhari. He demanded holding of Legislative Assembly elections as well as Parliamentary elections together in J&K because the people would get an elected Govt after five years of gap. “The court has also directed the Govt to hold elections before September 2024 in J&K, but I suspect, they will not end the rule of an unpopular Govt in the erstwhile State,” he raised suspicion while criticizing the influence of UP and Punjab based liquor and mining mafia/contractors on the authorities. Click here to watch video “Five years have passed to Jammu and Kashmir without an elected Govt. Up to 2018, the last elected Govt was formed by the BJP in alliance with PDP,” he added. “The BJP had contested Assembly elections of 2014 against National Conference and PDP and then they formed the Govt with the PDP,” he said, while asking the people if they saw any kind of development / employment in Bishnah or any other part of Jammu. He, however, raised the question about the involvement of non-local mafia in mining and liquor that has snatched the jobs, trade and spiked the prices of the construction material. “The contractors from Uttar Pradesh and Punjab exploit the resources and local labourers whereas a number of liquor shops have been opened in every nook and corner of Jammu. If this is the Naya Jammu and Kashmir, then we do not want such a situation, where rights of J&K are denied,” he added. Party general secretary Syed Asgar Ali and Provincial president Manjit Singh also spoke on the occasion. Senior party leaders Mohd Shafi Sheikh, Dr Rohit Gupta, Saleem Alam, Bodh Raj Bhagat, Ajaz Kazmi, Harpreet Singh, Raqeeq Khan, Vaibhav Mattoo, Pavneet Kour and others were also present on the occasion.