Six people were killed and more than 100 injured on Sunday when police clashed with protesters during a by-election in Srinagar in India's disputed Kashmir region, officials said.
Jammu and Kashmir PCC chief Ghulam Ahmed Mir, who is seeking election to Lok Sabha from home constituency Anantnag as the joint candidate of opposition Congress and National Conference (NC), said he will withdraw unless Governor's rule is imposed in the State.
The by-poll to the Lok Sabha constituency - spread across three districts of Srinagar, Budgam, and Ganderbal - was marred by widespread violence with police claiming that almost 200 incidents of violent protests took place in central Kashmir.
Mobs disrupted Sunday's vote, throwing stones and petrol bombs at security forces, in reaction to a separatist call to boycott the by-elections in Srinagar and Anantnag.
Another by-election, to fill a separate parliamentary seat, is set to take place in the Anantnag district on 12 April.
Following the cancellation of the by-polls in Chennai's R.K. Nagar constituency, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Tuesday asserted that the Election Commission (EC) of India should also cancel elections in Kashmir for at least two years. Polling booths have been provided maximum security, with hundreds of troopers deployed at colleges and schools where voting will be held.
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The by-polls in the three districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal saw the lowest voter turn out percentage in nearly 30 years and was marred by widespread violence. Earlier, the separatists had dubbed the low participation of voters in Srinagar constituency as "slap on Indian democracy".
Omar Abdullah, the former chief minister of the state, accused the state government of failure.
He accused Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti of failing to provide a conducive atmosphere for voting.
Security remains tight and the Valley has been turned into a fortress.
To check the spread of rumours, authorities have suspended the Internet facility in the entire valley till April 12. "Election Commission of India has not taken the civilian killings and the outrage and resentment expressed by people into account".
The Election Commission said that the bye-elections shall be held by the poll panel in due course. Several violence was also reported from Ater, Madhya Pradesh, in which some people were said to be injured.
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