Turnout no issue, won’t coerce voters: CEC

Four days ahead of the first phase of polling in Jammu and Kashmir, the Chief Election Commissioner, N Gopalaswami, on Wednesday met politicians and all officials associated with the polling process in Srinagar and emphasised the need for free and fair polls in the state. “Nothing less than free and fair polls will be acceptable to us,” he told reporters Wednesday evening.

On being asked whether security forces would compel voters to vote on the polling day, Gopalasawmi said the police, the Army or any other security agency would never be allowed to coerce voters. “We are not concerned about the meagre poll percentage. Our aim is to hold free and fair polls in the state. For us, weather is a big challenge, despite that all poll arrangements have already been completed.” He termed the security situation as good.

Regarding the concerns of the political leaders who had met him earlier in the day, he said that the leaders were assured every facility. About late distribution of election cards, Gopalswami said that there were 13 other documents that could be used as an alternate to election cards. When asked about the arrest of separatist leaders for running the poll boycott campaign, he said that the law would take its own course. Earlier, he had held separate meetings with District Election officers and SSPs of all the districts and discussed the security and poll arrangements in Kashmir.