JKLF chairman Yasin Malik was arrested ahead of panchayat and local bodies elections, in Srinagar on Tuesday. (PTI Photo)
Even as the State Election Commission and district election officers in Jammu and Kashmir say they are maintaining utmost secrecy about details of candidates in the upcoming civic elections, details of 30 candidates for the polls in Dooru Verinag Municipal Committee in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district have been released on social media by accounts associated with militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen.
By Tuesday evening, a video was put out on the Facebook page of one BJP candidate from Dooru Verinag announcing her “resignation from all activities”. Her name was among the 30 candidates on social media.
BJP and Congress leaders in the state confirmed to The Indian Express that the names put out on social media are indeed those of their candidates. All these candidates are now under police protection. The list doing the rounds on social media names 17 Congress and 13 BJP candidates. It also names their parents, residence, ward number from which nomination has been filed, and the candidates’ respective party.
Senior BJP leader and party MLC Sofi Yousuf said that besides the 13 names of party candidates leaked on social media, names of nine BJP candidates, who had filed nominations from Municipal Committee Ashmuqam in Anantnag district, were made public two days ago. “Their contact details, including phone numbers and personal details, were made public…it has created fear among the candidates,” Sofi said.
Stating that several Congress candidates are contesting from the area, Mir said, “The police are now asking the candidates to reach police stations after their name were leaked.”
State BJP general secretary Ashok Kaul confirmed that names of 13 party candidates have been leaked. “We have taken up the matter with the administration,” he said.
“Each candidate is worried as their name is out on internet. All the candidates are at Dooru police station and the police are not allowing anyone to go home due to the security threat,” Ghulam Hassan Bhat, BJP’s Verinag constituency president, said over telephone. Stating that the candidates are concerned about their security, Bhat said, “The administration has said that they will be provided accommodation.”
A panchayat building in Budgam district was set on fire last week. (Photo: Shuaib Masoodi)
The Indian Express spoke to two candidates whose names are in the list. “The police came to my home and asked me to come along (to the police station). I was told that my name is out on the internet,” a BJP woman candidate said. “I am extremely worried — my children are at home.”
There are 17 wards in Dooru Verinag Municipal Committee and the last date for filing nomination in the fourth phase was October 1. The date of withdrawal for candidature for the phase is October 5, and polling is scheduled for October 16.
State Congress president Ghulam Ahmad Mir said the administration will be responsible if anything untoward happens to any candidate. “It was the responsibility of the Governor, the administration and the state election commission to ensure that no names come out for a particular time, because security issues are involved,” Mir said. “The administration should find out how the names were leaked.”
Anantnag Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Younis Malik, who is also district election officer, told The Indian Express that they are trying to get details on the list. “Security is being ensured,” he said.