PDP wants indefinite postponement of Anantnag Lok Sabha bypoll

SRINAGAR: Ruling PDP has urged the Election Commission to defer indefinitely the bypoll to the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency against the backdrop of the volatile situation prevailing there.

PDP candidate for the bypoll Tassaduq Hussain, who is brother of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, made the plea during a video conference with Election Commission officials yesterday.

"Hussain asked the Election Commission to defer the bypoll to Anantnag Lok Sabha seat indefinitely till the situation is conducive for the elections there," PDP general secretary Nizamuddin Bhat said today.

The EC had organised the video conference with all the contesting candidates to ascertain their views about holding of elections to the constituency on May 25.

The bypoll was earlier scheduled to be held on April 12 but was postponed following large scale violence during polling in Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency on April 9 that left nine people dead.

The bypoll to the Srinagar constituency saw the lowest turnout of 7.1 per cent. It was won by National Conference's Farooq Abdullah.

Anantnag Lok Sabha seat had fallen vacant after Mehbooba became the Chief Minister last year following the death of her father Mufti Sayeed.