NOTA doesn’t impress separatists RK News Srinagar: The NOTA - TopicsExpress

NOTA doesn’t impress separatists RK News Srinagar: The NOTA option in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) hasn’t impressed separatists leadership in Kashmir who termed the option as non-issue for them. As the poll dates were announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI) recently for Jammu and Kashmir, it declared NOTA as one of the option that the voter can use during the state elections. Seeming less impressed by the otherwise controversial option earlier, the separatist leadership here stated that the option of NOTA is not relevant in Jammu and Kashmir rather ‘boycott is the only way forward.’ Huriyat Conference led by Syed Ali Geelani termed the option irrelevant, saying NOTA could prove vital for the other states but for Kashmir its unimportant as far as the political status of the state is concerned. “It is the army that rules the state, how could we expect that the option could be relevant here. With NOTA or without NOTA, elections have no relevance in Kashmir and that the people must boycott the process tooth and nail,” Huriyat (G) chief spokesman Ayaz Akbar said. Huriyat (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq had already said that his amalgam has already rejected the poll process and considers it ‘futile’. He added that elections in no way could be the substitute of right to self determination. “We ask people to reject these polls and stay away from this process,” Mirwaiz maintained.