EC announces re-poll in Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency

Srinagar, April 11 (IANS) The Election Commission on Tuesday announced that re-poll will be held on Thursday in 38 polling stations of the Srinagar Lok Sabha Constituency, which was hit by violence on Sunday.

State Chief Electoral officer Shantmanu told the media here that “the decision on re-poll in 38 polling stations come from the Elction Commission of India and re-poll at these polling stations would be now held on April 13 (Thursday)”.

Eight civilians were killed and scores injured in firing by security forces as mobs tried to attack some polling stations in the constituency during balloting on Sunday. The day also recorded a poor seven per cent voting in a by-poll — the lowest in the state in three decades.

Amid the violence, the Election Commission on Monday deferred the election in the Anantnag parliamentary constituency — scheduled to be held on April 12 — till May 25.

“The commission expects the law and order situation in the constituency to improve and become conducive to the holiding of free and fair election,” it said. 

The by-poll to the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency — spread across three districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal — was marred by widespread violence with the police claiming that nearly 200 incidents of violent protests took place in central Kashmir.