Srinagar, Oct 12: Senior J&K BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and BJP leader Sunil Sharma on Monday said 1987 poll rigging in Jammu and Kashmir was the biggest "vote chori" in the country.

Talking to reporters, LoP questioned NC leadership's position on allegations of aleged electoral irregularities and challenged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to explain his earlier remarks in support of the fairness of elections and the functioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
"If there is one biggest allegation of electoral rigging in the country, it is the rigging of the 1987 elections in Jammu and Kashmir to make Farooq Abdullah the Chief Minister," he said.
Sharma said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah should address the allegations surrounding the 1987 elections before questioning the credibility of subsequent electoral processes.
"Congress has stolen votes here. The 1987 elections are an example of electoral malpractice that is remembered across the country and the world," Sharma alleged.
He said that free and fair elections in Jammu and Kashmir were conducted only during the tenures of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The National Conference (NC), a constituent of the INDIA bloc, has repeatedly accused the BJP of electoral manipulation. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has also criticised the delimitation exercise that was done in Jammu and Kashmir, alleging that the process was designed to favour the BJP.
Referring to Omar's earlier statements on elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Sharma said that the National Conference leader had previously described an election as fair and maintained that EVMs were functioning properly.
"How have the EVMs suddenly become faulty today? If the elections were rigged, then does that mean your own election was also rigged? You should resign on moral grounds. I do not understand this contradiction," he said.
The LoP also referred to the role of a former deputy commissioner Khaliq and alleged that he had a role in determining who became an MLA in Jammu and Kashmir.
On the INDIA bloc's protests, Sharma said political parties had the right to demonstrate but should not inconvenience the general public or disrupt essential services.
"You cannot hold two to three crore people hostage. People have to go to schools, patients have to reach hospitals, and businesses have to function," he said.
Arguing that protests should be conducted at designated venues, Sharma suggested that opposition parties could organise demonstrations at stadiums or Ramlila Maidan instead of disrupting traffic and public life.
"If you want to protest, go to a stadium or Ramlila Maidan, gather five lakh or even ten lakh people, and protest as much as you want," he said.