Harsha Kakar
The elections for the District Development Councils (DDC) in the Union Territory of J and K have successfully concluded with an overall voting percentage of over 51%. The elections were billed as a battle between the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), a combination of valley based political parties, on one side, and the BJP on the other. They were expected to be a ratification of abrogation of article 370 as also introduction of grassroot democracy to push local development.
While polling in the Jammu belt has always been high, it was Kashmir which came as a surprise. Shopian, which had almost no polling in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, had 17.5%. Kulgam had poor polling in the 2018 Panchayat elections,ended with 28.9%. Pulwama had 1.1% in 2018, 1.2% in 2019 and 7.4% this time. Sopore had an increase from 7.6% in 2019 to 23.8% this time. The difference between South Kashmir and the rest of the valley was evident.
There was no boycott call, nor were there incidents of stone pelting or terrorist violence, which boosted confidence of candidates as also voters. It is possible that high percentages of voting were because candidates were local, and emphasis was development, not political, though parties stuck to their political beliefs.
Security forces were overstretched to ensure that there were no terrorist incidents. Pakistan had attempted to push through terrorists, solely to disrupt the process, which failed. Increased ceasefire violations targeting border regions, especially on the eve of voting, did not deter the electorate. The enthusiasm across the region was indicative of the desire of the populace to create local bodies which would be responsible for development. This time, no J and K politician, unlike Mufti Sayeed in 2015, credited people ‘from abroad’ and ‘separatists’ for smooth conduct of elections.
The PAGD along with the Congress won in 13 districts, while the BJP won in 6. Overall, the PAGD won 110 seats, while the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 75 seats. The BJP for the first time opened its tally in the valley winning three seats, while the PAGD won 26 in the Jammu sector.42 independent candidates emerged victorious and could play the role of king makers. However, what emerged is that the BJP managed to hold its ground against a combination of political parties.
Does the election in any form negate or support the concept of abrogation of article 370. Low voter turnout in South Kashmir displays that the region still possesses anger against the centre. Other regions of Kashmir have indicated a desire to be a part of the democratic process. This, despite the region having suffered the worst lockdown in history, with normality not yet restored. The results have followed past patterns of religion-based voting with the PAGD retaining its hold in the valley and the BJP in the Jammu division. The two regions have stuck to their traditional support bases.
Parties have viewed these elections results differently. Omar Abdullah stated, ‘The BJP is the one which turned these elections as a referendum of its policy of 2019. I hope they have understood the desire of the people.’ Chidambaram of the Congress tweeted that the people of Kashmir have ‘firmly rejected the BJP and its misguided Kashmir policy.’
On the contrary, Anurag Thakur of the BJP stated, ‘Even though people were threatened, they came out in huge numbers to cast their vote. This is the victory of democracy. PM Modi’s dream that at the grassroots level, panchayat, BDC and DDC elections should be held in J&K, has been fulfilled.’ BJP’s election-in-charge for the Valley, Syed Shahnawaz Hussain stated, ‘The overwhelming participation of the people is a clear sign that they believe in democratic procedure rather than bullet and grenade. The peaceful, free and fair election with record voting turnout contradicts the idea of the Gupkar Alliance.’
The PAGD had initially refused to participate claiming that unless article 370 is restored they would not be involved in any democratic process. However, it realised that a growing BJP presence in the valley will become a challenge in the coming years if they ignore grassroot level democracy. The desire to fight united was aimed at projecting unity towards a common enemy, BJP.
Most importantly, the election opened doors for increased political activity in the region, a process which had been locked since the abrogation of article 370 and incarceration of senior politicians. The results, along expected lines, displayed free and fair polls. There were no claims of rigging, which is a common feature post most elections. Those who claimed that their candidates were not permitted to campaign are now maintaining silence.
The fact that DDC’s would be responsible for local development will add to pressures on political parties since these elections were fought on political lines. Failure to push development could change the scenario in future elections. Locals would compare DDCs of their region and development efforts of each. Political parties will be compelled to push development, rather than divisive politics, if they wish to remain relevant. Performance of political parties would now be judged at grassroot levels.
For the first time in history, Kashmiris will have representatives,local people can approach for their grievances and institutions responsible for development. The Lt Governor of J and K, Manoj Sinha, stated that these elections are a key vehicle for bringing politics of representation back into the region. For the global community, which has been accusing India of suppressing the people of J and K, based largely on the lockdown after the abrogation of article 370 and accusations by Pak, these elections with active participation from across the UT would convey the message that democratic processes have commenced in the region.
While DDC’s may possess a limited mandate, politics are back to centre stage. What is the way ahead. The government must ease communication restrictions which it still maintains in the region. It must now trust the populace which has voted for democracy and development. It is time for J and K to move forward.
The author is Major General (Retd)
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