First phase of polling for 15 Assembly constituencies of J&K is over. A total of 10.61 lakh electorates were eligible for this voting in 787 polling stations at 1606 locations. Six constituencies of Jammu division, four in Ladakh and the remaining five in Kashmir valley went to polls. On average 71.28 per cent turnout was recorded in these 15 segments which is ten per cent more than in 2008 elections and 20 per cent more than April-May Parliamentary elections. Total number of candidates in the fray was 123 which included sitting ministers, MLAs and others.
From the data that has been released by the Chief Election Officer for J&K in his press conference soon after the polling was closed, we come to know of quite interesting analysis. In the first place, we get vivid picture of the fail-safe arrangements made by the ECI either in terms of formal and meticulous conduct of polling process, or in terms of security arrangement or in monitoring the entire polling at each and every step through observers of various categories or the electronic eye or the force deployed to maintain security, law and order during the course of polling. Secondly, we note that polling has been hassle free without even a single incident of major violence or derailment of arrangement. Thirdly and more significantly, we can note that voters were more than eager to come out of their homes and cast their vote. This could be owing to many reasons. Foremost is that the people in the State want a change because they are fed up with many problems which have remained unresolved and which they would want the new Government to address without delay or vacillation. Shoddy roads, power breakdown, corruption, increasing unemployment, uninspiring leadership and urge for better life are the main items to which the electorate appears to have given full weight.
But the most significant thing that has been noticed from the first phase of Assembly election is that the threats issued by militants of disrupting election on the one hand and fervent calls given by separatists to boycott the election on the other hand did not cut ice with the voters. By their massive presence at polling booths, standing in serpentine queues for hours together in harsh and piercing Siberian winds to take their turn for casting their precious vote, shows that terrorism, violence and gun culture stand totally rejected by the masses of people in Kashmir. This is a clear signal to the militants that they have lost the cause and there will be no space for them in the State. Actually the credit should go both to the security forces — the police and the army — and to the people of the State who defied the threats and warnings and came out to exercise their vote. Most of them said that they decided to come out in large numbers because if they listened to the boycott call of separatists, it would mean they leave the ground open for corrupt and insensitive candidates to win the election. Like the rest of the country, people in Jammu and Kashmir have given clear and strong expression to a desire for change. Desire for change is not only in two-decade long militancy in Jammu and Kashmir but also in the administration and more importantly in the mindset. It has to be noted that sections of political leadership, besides the separatists and secessionists, have been accused of misleading the people by spreading falsehood and canard and thus creating negative and disruptive mindset among unsuspecting people. Actually these actors had an axe to grind. They want to derive political mileage by creating confusion in the mind of the people. The unprecedented percentage of voting in the first phase has made it clear that people would not buy the canard and falsehood any more. Hopefully, this inference will be corroborated by the result of polling.
According to the Chief Election Officer, fifteen segments that were clubbed for voting in the first phase are all hilly and mountainous regions where the winter is likely to be very severe in December and January. Thus climatic and weather conditions catalyzed the holding of first phase in these regions. Though the temperature in most of the segments was minus zero Celsius, even then more than 70 per cent of voters came out to exercise their right to vote. One can presume that the turnout will remain on the higher graph during the subsequent phases and that will be a master stroke of ushering in a phase of peace, prosperity and transparency in the State. The people have not forgotten that our adversaries across the border tried to disrupt Parliamentary elections this summer. Firing and shelling on the border that has taken many innocent lives and thrown thousands of people out of their homes for safety and security are the gimmicks which Pakistan foolishly hoped would derail the determination of the people to have a Government of their choice. Amusingly weeks before the commencement of Assembly election campaigns, Pakistan tried its best to rake up Kashmir issue on international platforms, the UN and the United States of America only to receive a rebuff from Washington. But the biggest slap to her is from the people of the State of Jammu and Kashmir, who, by their massive turnout have exploded Pakistan’s myth that Kashmiris want secession from India. Who are the secessionists in Kashmir and what is their percentage? They have lost credibility and they would do well to wind up their shops.
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