Politics is Back to J & K

Electoral politics in Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing new developments. There is no doubt that hard core politics is being played on ground zero. It points to permutations and combinations that can emerge once the electoral process is complete. People of Jammu and Kashmir have witnessed many strange partnerships from the earlier days when Kashmir was engulfed in the politics of “Sher’s” and “Bakra’s”-the two referring to the adherents of Sheikh Abdullah and Moulvi Farooq respectively. That period may be unbelievable to the new generation but it helps to predict and analyse the political culture and social preferences in Kashmir when it comes to the elections. These arch rivals not only indulged in vociferous opposition but did establish their control over the masses with the power of the musclemen. It may surprise the people now that these two opposite poles in Kashmir’s politics also came together when a new slogan of “Double Farooq” reverberated in the Kashmir valley. It was an era in 1980’s when Moulvi Farooq’s Awami Action Committee and Farooq Abdullah’s National Conference joined hands. It too was accepted by the people like they accepted their political rivalry. Political psyche in Kashmir can’t be predicted by mere hard core newspaper analysis by parachute opinion makers. It needs the in depth internalisation of the socio-political undercurrents that shape the opinion in Kashmir. This paradox later assumed new proportions when in the recent past BJP and PDP joined hands to form the coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir by ironing out their differences and deciding to work on the basis of the “Agenda of Alliance”. BJP and PDP are ideologically poles apart but the political expediency enabled them to join hands. At that time BJP was seen as the Jammu centric party in terms of the acceptability though it is the national party. Due to its categorical stand on the abrogation of Article 370 and 35 A it found least takers in Kashmir. It was reflected in the poll outcomes of that period. It emerged as the strongest party from Jammu region. On the other hand PDP led by the former Congressman late Mufti Mohammad Syed catered to the quasi-secessionist base that reached out to the masses in Kashmir on the basis of its “Self-Rule” agenda meant to reinforce the non-territorial settlement of Jammu and Kashmir issue having porous borders with Pakistan. He managed to hoodwink the BJP and the outcome was the BJP-PDP Alliance. It is pertinent to mention that one of the persons who played the key role in forming the BJP-PDP Alliance on the basis of the “Agenda of Alliance”, Ram Madhav has again been deputed to Jammu and Kashmir after he was away from the local scene for a quite some time. His presence can’t be ignored. Political calculus on the ground is fluid and parties are forging alliances based on unpredictability. Sheikh Abdul Rashid also known as Engineer Rashid who has recently won the Lok Sabha Election is out on interim bail signifies a new development. His party, Jammu & Kashmir Awami Ittehad Party has already started fielding its candidates and is gaining momentum. Not only that after the lifting of ban from the Jamaat-e-Islami Kashmir by the government, it too is fielding its candidates as independents. The election campaigning is on the high. After a long political vacuum there is desperation to define and redefine the political narrative in Jammu and Kashmir. Importantly, the neutralisation of Article 370 and 35 A has made the battle lines clear. There are two broad groups, one that wants the restoration of the Article 370 and 35 A and the other, reaching out to the masses for the benefits due to its neutralisation. The two main national parties BJP and Congress are watching the political dynamics and keeping their fingers crossed as the election verdict may surprise many. So both parties are indulging in political engineering before the polls. So that they can control the government formation later. Jammu and Kashmir is indeed destined to witness a high voltage Assembly Elections that will redefine its politics once again. Only time will tell whether it will be progressive verdict or regressive retreat? People want peace and development but politics is the art of possible that can make or break the rules of statecraft.