By Farooq Wani
A decade after Jammu and Kashmir last went to polls there’s excitement amongst the people and expectations that the upcoming elections would be free, fair and transparent. This is because the lingering bitter memories of the massive rigging in the 1987 elections triggered militancy that ushered anarchy and claimed thousands of innocent lives in a region affectionately referred to as paradise on earth.
Thankfully, the situation in this region has since changed for the better and as such Elections 2024 means a lot to the people of J&K as it will bring into power a popular government and restore statehood. As the various parties and independent candidates contesting the elections have promised to promote developmental and people-oriented welfare programmes as well as address unemployment issues, the public is obviously enthused.
As election campaigning reaches a feverish pitch, four major parties-the National Conference (NC), Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC) as well as other smaller regional parties are exuding confidence regarding their respective political prospects.
The three-phased election in J&K is being held on September 18 and 25 and on October 1 while results will be declared on October 8. It certainly won’t be a cakewalk for any party and as such smaller parties viz Apni party, Peoples Conference (PC), Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) as well as independent candidates will play a major role as king-makers in the government formation. While there would be many surprises, Advocate Mohd Maqbool Shah from Pampore Constituency is one likely dark horse.
Assembly elections are being contested on three or four issues, viz. restoration of Article 370, law and order, terrorism and socio-economic stability. Electoral battle lines have already been drawn with each party predictably targeting rivals and attempting to expose their perceived shortcomings. The moot question is- will they be able to live-up to public expectations by giving a government that is truly of the people, by the people and for the people?
The politicians are using every trick in the book to woo voters. In the week gone by, we have seen NC Vice President and former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah making an emotional appeal to voters in Ganderbal, saying, “My turban (skull cap) and my honour are in your hands” and saying, “Give me a chance. I appeal to Ganderbal with folded hands to give me an opportunity and I will serve you and represent you.” That Omar chose to make his plea in Kashmiri (instead of in Urdu as he normally does) is indeed quite intriguing.
An Abdullah stronghold, Ganderbal has elected three generations of this family on five occasions. NC founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah won from Ganderbal in 1977, while his son Farooq won from here in 1983, 1987 and 1996. Omar won in 2008. Though the crowd expressed solidarity by saying that there was no need to remove the cap, the underlying message that “you have to deliver on basics,” was loud and clear.
In a bid to play the victim card, Omar has alleged that New Delhi had hatched a conspiracy to deny him a win in the elections by fielding candidates who are in jail. However, whether this claim will convert into votes is yet to be seen.
Besides targeting Pakistan, Union Home Minister Amit Shah used his recent two-day J&K visit to hit out at NC and INC by emphatically accusing both of attempting to restore the pre-2019 terror ecosystem in J&K. Ruling out the restoration of Article 370, which had granted special status to J&K for 65 years, he said that this temporary provision is now “history”.
Insisting that J&K is integral to India and must remain connected to taking socio-economic progress forward, Shah said the lid has to be put on the “shadow of separatism and terrorism” that has hung over the region for decades. He also reiterated that removing Article 370 has spurred development in the state and there can be no going back on this.
The BJP manifesto makes an interesting read. Of the 25 promises outlined, the attractive ones are empowerment and up-skilling of women, provision of five lakh jobs, rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits and providing financial aid via the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme.
Regional parties are promising to fight for restoration of Article 370 and are facing flak from the BJP. Caught in a political bind, INC has chosen to highlight return of statehood rather than reintroduction of Article 370.
A record 529 candidates have filed nominations for 50 assembly seats in the first two phases of the three-phased elections and the proscribed Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) party is fielding candidates in both north and south Kashmir as independents. As it had always been identified with separatist outfits and boycotting of polls, this is undoubtedly a watershed moment in J&K politics.
The NC, PDP, Apni Party and Sajad Lone-led JKPC are committed to reversing many of the measures taken after 2019, including the Public Safety Act (PSA). The INC is objecting to the BJP encouraging “outsiders” to buy land, capture resources and jobs and encourage ST and SC communities to expand its voter base in areas away from the Jammu plains.
At any rate, J&K is all set to throw-up a new brand of politics on October 8. All parties should prepare to seize this new opportunity with both hands and leave no stone unturned in ensuring that they don’t betray the trust that the people of J&K have reposed in them. They should remember that gone are the days when it was easy to befool people by making tall promises and not fulfilling them. Today, the mantra is-perform or perish!
The author is Editor Brighter Kashmir, Author, TV commentator, political analyst and columnist.
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