Mehbooba Mufti said armed forces were used to rig the District Development Council polls.

There is no evidence to confirm that the armed forces were used to manipulate the District Development Council (DDC) polls in Jammu and Kashmir.

There is no evidence to confirm that the armed forces were used to manipulate the District Development Council (DDC) polls in Jammu and Kashmir.On Dec. 10, 2020, former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti, alleged that the armed forces were interfering in the District Development Council (DDC) elections by not allowing the voters to cast their vote. She added that the troops were forcing the voters to vote in favor of a particular political party.

The State Election Commissioner (SEC), KK Sharma, on Dec. 10, 2020, said that DDC elections passed off peacefully across Jammu and Kashmir, with over 51% of people voted across 37 seats in the fifth phase. He did not deny or conform if the armed forces had attempted to rig the elections. Hence the claim is unverifiable.

According to the reports, SEC was interacting with the media after the conclusion of the fifth phase. SEC stated that despite severe cold conditions in the Kashmir division and some hilly areas of the Jammu division, people participated enthusiastically without interruption.

Hence, there is no evidence to confirm the statement made by Mehbooba Mufti that armed forces were used to influence the polls in Jammu and Kashmir.