The much-improved voter turnout in J&K indicates the local people’s desire to influence politics rather than surrender it to the diktats of separatists and their accomplices in the system. It has been so ingrained in the Kashmiri political outfits to play both sides of the game that, even now, they continuously raise Pakistan as an issue, often inadvertently. They do not realise how they expose themselves as opportunists who have exploited the insecurities and sentiments of the people. Ever since abrogation of Article 370 and the exclusion of the family run parties such as the PDP and NC, as well as the separatist outfits, space has been provided for the emergence of not only new political parties but also a grassroots leadership from within present day reality.
It is quite obviously a battle between two narratives, which will hopefully be reflected in the election results. The attempts continue, though much diminished, by Pakistan and its proxy terrorists to try and intimidate the people. The recent attack on a BJP activist and two tourists by terrorists was to send a message against the election process. This was rejected resoundingly by the voter turnout, as a clear message that people have hopes for the future and are willing to take the necessary risks required for change.
It is not an empty hope because people have already seen how much improvement there can be in the quality of life if the focus is on development. Generation after generation in J&K has had to give up on economic progress for the sake of a futile cause. The troubles in the then state were exactly at the time when India’s middle-class increased exponentially, with a hefty disposable income. Kashmir, the ideal vacationers’ destination, missed out, and the tourists, instead, discovered other destinations, including many abroad. In the years after Article 370’s revocation, tourism and other economic activities have been revived, and the impact has been felt by the people. They would like to continue down the path and only the traditional politics is getting in the way.
Restoration of statehood status and elections for the assembly should further boost this process. The hindrance, of course, is the unwillingness or the inability of the political parties to acknowledge the present-day reality. The results of the Lok Sabha contest will give a hint of whether change has come about in the state’s politics. It would give the green signal to continue down the path of J&K’s normalisation. It will also require, however, the return of the Modi Government at the Centre.
