National Conference (NC) Saturday raised the issue of defections of elected District Development Council (DDC) members with the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) J&K, K K Sharma impressing upon him to examine the issues as it violates the people’s mandate and spirit of democracy.
A statement of NC issued here said that NC’s Provincial President, Kashmir, Nasir Aslam Wani and Member of Parliament HasnainMasoodi brought the issue of defections of elected DDC members of Shopian to the notice of the CEC Sharma urging him to suspend voting rights of defected members pending disqualification and disqualify such DDC members who had changed their party affiliation after being elected to DDCs from a particular party ticket, manifesto and symbol.
The NC statement said that they said if the issue was not combated, it was likely to undermine the very foundations of democracy.
Expressing their remonstration against the defections, the NC leaders in a statement said that the elections were held on party basis and that people voted candidates to power because of a particular election manifesto and symbol.
It quoted the NC leaders as saying that such defections undermined the spirit of democracy and violated the people’s mandate so such DDC members who had changed the party affiliations post elections should be disqualified and until proceedings in that direction were initiated such DDC members should be debarred from voting.
The NC statement said that the SEC assured them that he would examine the matter.
It said that the NC leaders also impressed upon the party’s district functionaries to apprise the concerned authorities about such defections.
They said in the statement that the defections go against the political propriety and the spirit of democracy, making it imperative on NC’s district functionaries to raise their voice against it