Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Mehbooba Mufti alleges Section 144 clamped in Pulwama to obstruct her poll campaign

The former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir also accused the administration of unfairly influencing the polls by harassing and detaining her party workers in Pulwama, where voting is scheduled to take place on May 13.

"Section 144 has been imposed in Pulwama district, which is unprecedented. It has not happened before. Restrictions are imposed where the elections are to take place and that too till the time of the conclusion of polls," Mufti said while addressing a presser in Srinagar, reported India Today.

Mufti also accused the local administration of engineering the same outcome as the 1987 elections, which were allegedly rigged and seen as a triggering decade of unrest in the valley.

According to her, the primary objective behind the detention of her party workers was to disrupt her Lok Sabha campaign.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner (DC)/ District Magistrate (DM) of Pulwama said the imposition of Section 144 is a standard procedure to maintain law and order in the district.

"ECI guidelines mandate specific SOPs for the last 72 hours and last 48 hours. Under Section 126 and Section 130 of Representation of People's Act 1951 and SOPs edition 2 Para 4.1.1, 4.1.2, 4.1.3 mandate issuing of Order under Section 144 CrPC. Such orders have been issued by other districts also who went to polls/ are going to polls," a post from DC Pulwama's X handle said.

"The restrictions apply to specific activities related to campaign etc, being silent period. Restrictions relate to only specified points in order and not general restrictions," it added.

Pulwama is located in the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency, where Mufti is locked in a three-way contest against Mian Altaf from the National Conference (NC) and Zaffar Iqbal Manhas from the Apni Party.

As part of the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat, Pulwama is slated to vote on May 13 in the fourth phase of the elections.