The healthy turnout (61%) in the first phase of the J&K assembly elections is a tribute to all those who have given up their lives to combat terrorism – security personnel and civilians, alike. All the effort at the political level can be of no use if the necessary conditions for peaceful polling are not achieved. And it is not for want of trying by Pakistan and its proxies. In recent weeks, there have been a number of bloody encounters that took their toll on the security services, but it is obvious now that the impact that was sought to be made did not result. The common people of the union territory were not intimidated and participated in the democratic exercise with enthusiasm.
There is no doubt that the steps taken by the Union Government to restore normalcy to J&K have paid off. The abrogation of Article 370 was a clear message that the traditional blackmailing tactics would not be tolerated. When the BJP leaders remind the people that stone-pelting and all the other intimidatory tactics are a thing of the past, they are underlining a reality that cannot be ignored. When even a former Congress Union Home Minister admits that he was afraid to visit Kashmir in the old days, the present transformation needs to be appreciated. It is possible now to have elections with the participation of all sections of the political spectrum. Even the separatists are contesting as independents in the hope of furthering their cause in a ‘democratic way’. It will be for the people of J&K to decide how they are represented in the assembly.
Parties like the National Conference, PDP and Congress, on their part, are desperate to regain the stranglehold on power that they had through the agency of special powers provided by Article 370. It is only natural for them to promise its return in the hope that they still have support from those committed to ‘autonomy’. However, the inclusion now of excluded sections such as the Scheduled Castes, refugees, etc., has ensured that a new political environment has emerged. A number of political wannabes are also in the fray, promising a new J&K based on the present reality and may play a significant role in government formation.
It is the general expectation that there will be a hung assembly, and a ruling coalition will have to be constituted. After the next phases of voting are over, hopefully with the same enthusiasm, the people’s choices will become known. On the verdict will depend whether J&K reclaims its statehood or not.
