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The Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party on Thursday threatened to withdraw from the polls if the Election Commission did not take measures to prevent "rigging" in the third phase of assembly election in the state.
"We would be forced to withdraw from the elections if the Election Commission does not take into its custody the EVMs and take effective measures to prevent any kind of rigging," PDP vice-president Muzaffar Hussain Beig said.
"We have reliable and specific information that Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah has taken into confidence the police and civil administration in Anantnag and Pulwama districts to ensure a rigged victory for National Conference in the third phase of the polls," Beig alleged.
The Election Commission should ensure the EVMs are taken into its custody as soon as possible as the National Conference might try to tamper with them or even change the machines during transit from polling stations to the depositing stations, he said.
Claiming that National Conference president Omar Abdullah would suffer defeat in Ganderbal, which went to polls during second phase, the PDP leader said that Farooq Abdullah was trying to take revenge by ensuring the defeat of Mehbooba Mufti from Pahalgam by resorting to rigging and other unfair means.
Reiterating the party's satisfaction over the first phase of polls, Beig said a dramatic change has taken place for the third phase of polls to be held on October one.
Beig claimed that the role of state police had changed following the possibility of the ruling party's debacle in the first two phases of the polls.
Making sweeping allegations against a top police official without naming him, Beig said the official had a meeting with his subordinates in Anantnag and told them to "forget Election Commission's instructions and help NC at any cost".
Beig, who has been projected as a chief ministerial candidate by the PDP, said, "If the official-concerned wants to sue me for defamation, I am ready to defend myself in the court."
Claiming that he also said he had information that an industrialist from Mumbai had come here to fund the "rigged victory" of National Conference, Beig asked the EC to revitalise the polling staff brought from outside the state as they have been "as good as dead bodies" during the first two phases.
Describing the ruling party as an impediment to the return of peace in the state, Beig said, in the event of PDP coming to power, it would facilitate the peace process.
Beig also threatened to sue Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah for alleging that the PDP was behind the multiple attacks on Tourism Minister Sakina Itoo.
"Let the elections be over, we will drag him (Abdullah) to the court," Beig, who is also a Supreme Court lawyer, said.
Taking strong exception to the chief minister's remarks that the PDP was toeing a separatist line, Beig said it did not behove of the state chief minister to make derogatory remarks about prominent political leaders of the state like PDP chief Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and his daughter Mehbooba.
"First, he says he is ready to sit in the opposition then out of frustration, he says he would put Sayeed and Mehbooba in the 'phatak' (a government stable where stray animals are lodged)", Beig said.
"It would have been fine with us had he threatened to arrest them but this clearly is a derogatory remark," he said.
Abdullah, during an election rally, had accused PDP of being behind the four attacks within 10 days between Sept 11 and Sept 21 on Itoo. He had also frequently blamed PDP and Congress of toeing the line of the separatist All Parties Hurriyat Conference.
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