J&K regional parties join anti-CEC protests in Kashmir; Mehbooba, Omar liken Delhi situation to Kashmir of 2019
Regional political parties in Jammu & Kashmir joined protests against the Chief Election Commissioner over alleged voter list fraud. Leaders Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti drew parallels between current security restrictions in Delhi and the 2019 lockdown in Kashmir.
Why it matters
It reflects ongoing political tensions regarding election integrity and the expansion of security measures from conflict zones to the national capital.
Jammu & Kashmir’s regional parties, the ruling National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Saturday (October 10, 2026) joined Congress-led protests in Kashmir at the call of the INDIA bloc, which is seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over the alleged voter list fraud. Meanwhile, J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti likened the security restrictions in Delhi with that of Kashmir of 2019.
Carrying their party flags, dozens of NC and PDP workers, including women, assembled at the Congress party headquarters in Srinagar. The workers’ attempt to march on the streets of Lal Chowk was disallowed by the security forces. The protesters were carrying placards of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CEC Kumar. They were demanding the resignation of the CEC over what they described as “vote chori” (vote theft).
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