Tell party workers to maintain calm, don't believe rumours: J&K Governor to leaders
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Governor S P Malik has asked political leaders in the state to tell their supporters to maintain calm and not to believe "exaggerated rumours" being circulated in the valley.
The Governor said this to a delegation of political leaders of various parties led by PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, an official spokesman said here in a statement late Friday night.
The Governor requested the political leaders to ask their supporters not to mix up matters, to maintain calm and not believe exaggerated rumours being circulated all around.
The Governor himself had clarified matters on Article 35-A in Baramulla on Thursday and the day before in Srinagar, the spokesman said.
He said the delegation expressed concerns about the panic situation in the Kashmir valley created by the developments during the day including the advisory issued by the government asking Amarnath yatris and tourists to return as soon as possible.
Malik informed the delegation that there were serious and credible inputs which were available to the security agencies regarding terrorist attacks on Amarnath yatra.
He told the leaders there was a press conference earlier in the day by the Corps Commander of the Army and the DGP in which details of the weapons and ammunition recovered were given.
"Details of the seriousness of the threats that are there were also given. They also mentioned that the security forces were going to tackle these threats head on and will not allow them to succeed," the Governor said.
"It is in this context that the government had issued an advisory asking yatris and tourists to return as soon as possible. These are a vulnerable group of people who do not know the area and are extremely vulnerable to a terrorist or a fidayeen attack," he said.
"It is the responsibility of the state to provide security to all its citizens. Therefore, as a precautionary measure, yatris and tourists have been asked to return. This is to ensure that no terrorist attack takes place on them," he added.
Malik further said unnecessary panic was being created by linking the advisory to all kinds of other issues.
"A pure security measure is being mixed up with issues with which it has no connection. That is the cause of the panic," he said.
Peoples Conference leaders Sajad Lone and Imran Ansari and bureaucrat-turned-politician and Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement leader Shah Faesal were part of the delegation.
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K'taka bypolls: 11.87 percent voter turnout in Bagalkot, 9.01 percent in Davanagere South till 9 am
Bengaluru (PTI): In the first two hours since voting began for bypolls to two Bagalkot and Davanagere South assembly constituencies, the voter turnout stood at 11.87 percent and 9.01 percent, respectively, on Thursday.
The voting for the bypolls in two constituencies necessitated by the deaths of senior Congress MLAs H Y Meti and Shamanur Shivashankarappa, began at 7 am, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer said.
While the Congress faces the challenge of retaining both seats, the BJP is aiming to wrest them and deliver a setback to the ruling party, which is currently witnessing an "internal power struggle" over leadership.
A total of over 2.59 lakh eligible voters are expected to cast their votes at around 319 polling stations in Bagalkot, where nine candidates are in the fray.
In Davanagere South, over 2.31 lakh eligible voters are expected to vote across 284 polling stations, with 25 candidates contesting.
Officials said elaborate security arrangements have been made for the smooth conduct of bypolls.
The BJP has fielded former MLA and 2023 defeated candidate Veerabhadrayya Charantimath from Bagalkot, and a fresh face, Srinivas T Dasakariyappa, from Davanagere South.
The Congress has given tickets to family members of the late legislators in both constituencies. Bagalkot candidate Umesh Meti is the son of H Y Meti, while Samarth Mallikarjun from Davanagere South is the grandson of Shamanur Shivashankarappa.
Samarth’s father, S S Mallikarjun, is a minister in the Siddaramaiah-led Cabinet and in charge of Davanagere district, while his mother, Prabha Mallikarjun, is a Member of Parliament from the region.
In the 2023 Assembly elections, H Y Meti defeated BJP’s Charantimath by a margin of 5,878 votes in Bagalkot, while Shivashankarappa defeated BJP’s B G Ajay Kumar by 27,888 votes in Davanagere South.
