Political Situation in J&K

The commencement of the electoral process for the Assembly Elections after a prolonged wait has charged the socio-political atmosphere in Jammu and Kashmir. Political analysts have started taking the clinical view of the on ground political situation. Many factors that are visible on the ground in Jammu and Kashmir confirm that this election will give different results for different reasons. Traditional players and parties will come across many surprises. There has been a prolonged silence as far as the expression of the political vision is concerned due to absence of the Assembly for a considerable period of time. Neutralisation of Article 370 and 35 A has been a game changer when it comes to the political calculus in Jammu and Kashmir. It has encouraged many candidates to seek the mandate even as independents. But there is another side also that can’t be ignored. Those who had waged a war against the Indian nation and prompted their proxies to create disruption at the social and political level are also seeking accommodation of their players in the present process. This is due to the fact that the subversive and secessionist space has been shrunk. They know in order to be relevant in the Jammu and Kashmir politics they will have to hold on to their space. Even if it means buying time. They are aware that democracy gives a mechanism that can act as cover till they gain space to act. On the one hand there are new political players who want to uphold the national mainstream and on the other there are the players who want to hold the socio-political space to be relevant and buy time till they get an opportunity to assert themselves. Politics in Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed many situations where unexpected events have changed the political course of events. Lok Sabha Elections have given an inkling of the events to unfold. Unexpected results were witnessed from Kashmir. If that is taken as a pilot study then Jammu and Kashmir watchers will get many surprises to see. Mainstream political parties too are witnessing a tough time to manage elections this time. Though National Conference and Congress have decided to contest jointly but the political mood in the valley can’t be prejudged. The more the things appear to change the more they remain the same when there are limited options. After all political permutations and combinations are the outcomes of the possibilities available on the ground. BJP also witnessed a political conundrum when the distribution of tickets to the candidates was being carried out. There were protests by the sympathisers of the prospective candidates who felt discriminated against. This happened in many constituencies. This dis-satisfaction among the BJP cadres will affect the voting pattern and can have an impact on the poll results. From the ground reports it is clear that both Jammu and Kashmir have different political priorities. But one thing is common that the voters are disgruntled with the mainstream parties. This will lead to unexpected results. And the outcome will be interesting. There are many questions that arise due to this uncertainty in terms of the mandate. Will Jammu and Kashmir have a coalition that will be cobbled to govern with stability or there will be a hung assembly? That is too early to predict. But there is satisfaction at one level. It is that the people are jubilant about the start of the electoral process.This is the hope that is sustained by democracy. It is the beauty of Indian democracy that elections allow people to use the adversity of political logjam to be converted into an opportunity of good governance.