The BJP on Tuesday organised a unique tonga (horse-drawn carriage) rally in separatist stronghold and Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s hometown Sopore, the apparent theatrics giving more ammunition to the Opposition to claim that the Jammu and Kashmir administration was going out of its way to help the national party.

The rally saw the participation of a handful of BJP activists who had many more security men guarding them while ordinary residents mostly stayed away.

The seven-party People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, which has joined the fray for the ongoing District Development Elections, claims that non-BJP candidates are being locked in the name of security to prevent them from campaigning while the BJP candidates have a free run.

Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti recently said these elections have become a joke on democracy as the candidates were being arrested or stopped from campaigning.

The government and the Union Territory election body have denied the charges.

Adnan Ashraf, spokesman for People’s Conference which is a part of the alliance, said the BJP rally reinforces their belief that the administration was going all out to help the national party.

“Security is a big variable in Kashmir, although it may not be so outside. It shows that the administration is bothered only about the security of one side which is the BJP,” Ashraf told The Telegraph.

The BJP men, led by its Jammu and Kashmir general secretary Vibodh Gupta, campaigned for the party candidate for DDC elections.