NEWSLINKS US EDITION NEWS DEAR REDIFF THE STATES ARCHIVES
Onkar Singh in New Delhi
An All-Parties Hurriyat Conference leader said on Wednesday that the amalgam has told its supporters to vote against the ruling National Conference instead of boycotting the Jammu and Kashmir assembly election.
"We realised that [National Conference leader and Chief Minister] Dr Farooq Abdullah was acting as a stumbling block and was against any kind of talks on Kashmir... he needed to be defeated and hence it was essential that voters must turn out in large numbers and defeat the ruling party candidates," he told rediff.com on condition of anonymity.
He applauded the people of the state for calling off the bluff of the Pakistani rulers by voting in the first phase of the election on September 16.
"A turnout of 47.2% [in the first phase] is an impressive turnout. But this does not mean that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have voted either for India or against India. They voted essentially because the state has to have a government in place. The people of the state have voted for development," said another Hurriyat leader in New Delhi.
He also said that Ghulam Mohiuddin Sofi, who contested as an independent from Handwara, should win the election.
"He should win hands down. If he loses the Election Commission of India's credibility would be at stake," he claimed.
Jammu and Kashmir Elections 2002: The complete coverage
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