Mehbooba Mufti wins Anantnag by-election by over 11,000 votes

Mangalore Today News Network

Srinagar, June 25, 2016: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has extended her lead to over 5,700 votes after four rounds of counting in the bypoll to Anantnag Assembly constituency.

The results should be known before midday.

Counting was briefly suspended after Congress candidate Hilal Ahmad Shah alleged that the EVMs have been tampered with.

After the four rounds of counting, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader had polled 8,549 votes followed by Hilal Ahmad Shah of Congress (2,752) and Iftikhar Misger of National Conference (9,526), District Election Authorities said.

The counting was briefly stopped after Shah and his agents walked out of the counting hall, officials said.

They said Shah alleged that some EVMs were not carrying the mandatory seal and might have been changed in the process to favour Mehbooba Mufti.

Mehbooba is among eight candidates in the bypoll for Anantnag Assembly seat which was necessitated due to death of incumbent MLA and then chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on January 7 this year.

Polling in the constituency was held on June 22 during which over 28,000 of the 84,000 voters exercised their franchise.

Mehbooba Mufti assumed power after being sworn in as the Chief Minister of the PDP-BJP coalition government on April 4.

It is mandatory for a Chief Minister or any other minister in the state to become a member of either house of state’s bicameral legislature within six months of being sworn in.

At present, Mehbooba Mufti represents the south Kashmir Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency in Parliament.