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Only time when you can’t appoint an agent is when party doesn’t want to appoint one: Lone
Lone questioned the conduct of both NC and PDP, expressing serious doubts over their claimed ignorance of election rules
J&K Peoples Conference (PC) president Sajad Gani Lone on Wednesday criticised BJP, National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party, accusing them of colluding in what he described as “match fixing” during the Rajya Sabha elections.
Lone questioned the conduct of both NC and PDP, expressing serious doubts over their claimed ignorance of election rules.
Handwara legislator Lone, recalling his participation in the 2015 Rajya Sabha vote, said, “I remember in 2015 I cast my vote in Rajya Sabha. Our party did not have a candidate, but the ruling alliance requested us to have an agent of their choice.” Lone confirmed that the appointed person was a non-MLA who proceeded to verify his vote and that of his colleague and fellow MLA, advocate Bashir Ahmed Dar.
“It seems highly improbable that PDP or NC did not know the rules,” he said, underlining that the appointment of polling agents is among the most critical procedural steps in Rajya Sabha elections.
“A party can appoint an agent, whether the party fields a candidate or not. The only time when you cannot appoint an agent is when the party does not want to appoint one,” he said.
Pointing to what he called deliberate inaction, Lone said: “That NC did not insist on the appointment of agents, and PDP simply did not appoint agents, hints at a much bigger spread in match fixing.”
On Tuesday, NC spokesman Imran Nabi Dar had blamed the PDP for voting in favour of BJP candidate in Rajya Sabha polls. NC won three seats, while BJP got fourth. However, BJP candidate polled more votes than its strengthen in the assembly with both NC and the PDP accusing each other for siding with the BJP.
Recently in reply to an RTI query it was revealed than PDP didn’t appoint any observer to check the votes of their candidates during the recent Rajya Sabha polls.
