PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti has alleged the imposition of Section 144 in Pulwama district ahead of the voting for the newly created Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency. She claimed the development was ‘unprecedented’ and that party workers were being detained. Mufti questioned the Election Commission of India’s actions, suggesting a repeat of the 1987 election irregularities. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s statement on free and fair elections in Jammu and Kashmir was invoked by Mufti, who threatened to withdraw from the contest if the polls were rigged.