MHA, poll panel call truce, discuss security for Anantnag bypoll

THE EC WILL SPECIFY ITS REQUIREMENTS IN TERMS OF SECURITY PERSONNEL EARLY TO GIVE ENOUGH TIME TO THE HOME MINISTRY TO MOVE THE FORCES

After a bitter blame game over the Srinagar bypoll fiasco, the Election Commission (EC) and Union home ministry smoked the peace pipe on Wednesday and discussed security arrangements for the Anantnag by-election in the Valley.

Union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi held an hour-long meeting with chief election commissioner Nasim Zaidi and senior colleagues to discuss the requirement of security forces for holding the bypoll.

The election was originally slated for April 12 but was deferred to May 25 following violence-marred polls in neighbouring Srinagar parliamentary constituency on April 9 that left eight people dead.

The abysmally low 7% polling in Srinagar amid incidents of damaging and looting electronic voting machines (EVMs) sparked a war of words between the home ministry and the EC.

Home ministry officials said the EC didn’t consult it before announcing the schedule of the bypolls.

The EC retaliated by saying it was not duty-bound to hold consultation with the ministry.

Commission officials had also said that the ministry’s brief was limited to providing central forces.

The home ministry had provided around 30,000 additional security personnel for Srinagar and Anantnag bypolls as demanded by the EC but in hindsight, the number may have been inadequate. Besides, sources say, many companies reached only one or two days before the polling and did not get any time to familiarise themselves with the mood of the Valley.

The EC will now specify its requirements in terms of security personnel early to give enough time to the ministry to move the forces.

Home ministry sources said a call will be taken soon on a visit by Union home minister Rajnath Singh to the Valley to engage the civil society there.