After achieving its independence from British rule in 1947, India drafted its constitution and introduced democratic system of government. With this, all the states that merged with union of India also followed the same system in their respective states as per the constitution of India. Though the democracy also ushered in J&K state long back since 1951 but it did not gain roots both in constituent and legislative assemblies because the members instead of being elected were used to be selected or nominated.
The congress party did not allow the democracy to grow in J&K, till 1977 when the free and fair elections were held under the prime minister-ship of Sh. Morar ji Desai, who happened to be the man of principles. Afterwards the Congress party with support of the regional political parties again fiddled with the democracy in one way or the other. It was only in 2024, parliamentary elections which was held in free and fair atmosphere that the people of J&K, particularly in Kashmir Valley, started reposing faith in democracy. It became clear after recently held Assembly elections of J&K that the democracy is now gaining roots with the record increase in the voting percentage in the Union Territory.
There is no doubt that the National Conference swept the elections with their 35 candidates winning the seats in Kashmir but the BJP also won 30 seats in Jammu province. The BJP improved their position in Jammu by winning 5 seats more than what they had won in 2014 elections. It is true that the NC had no strong competition in valley so far as the regional as well national parties are concerned. The PDP had already lost ground with many of its senior leaders saying good bye and its poor performance in the 2024 parliamentary elections. The other miniscule regional parties are not worth to be mentioned for their very negligible vote following.
The INC did not fare well in Jammu as they won only one seat in whole Jammu province. This was because of their poor campaigning and absence of star campaigners in their strong hold constituencies. The performance of such an old national political was recorded as most dismal and disappointing. Even the shifting of state president of INC and appointment of a very senior and matured leader could not make any impressive impact in organizational affairs because the new incumbent had very little time to set the things right. This was a good move on their part. The 5 assembly seats they won in Kashmir valley was mainly with the support of NC which had a pre-poll alliance with the INC.
The BJP has over shadowed the INC in the recent elections in Jammu and increased their voting percentage in Kashmir also. The BJP candidate in Gurez Constituency lost to his rival candidate of NC by only few hundred votes. The performance of NC in Jammu province is extremely excellent by winning 7 Assembly seats coming second after BJP. The 7 candidates who won assembly seats on NC party ticket from Ramban, Banihal, Nowshera, Budhal, Poonch Haveli and Mendhar belong to Chenab and Pir Panchal districts.
This is a welcome sign that NC is popular not only in Kashmir Valley but in Jammu province also. Out of 5, four successful independent candidates who were denied party tickets by NC and contested election as rebels have also shown their willingness to support NC Coalition government. Even the CPIM candidate who won the elections from Kulgam constituency had a support of NC party. The few leaders of different parties who were very active and campaigned vigorously in Kashmir valley like Altaf Bukhari, Iltaja Mufti, Bashrat Bukhari, Safina Beg and Imran Raza Ansari did not impress the voters and lost elections. The old guards like Gh. Hassan Mir, Hakeem Yasin and Nasir Aslam wani among others also met the same fate.
Since Omer Abdullha has been unanimously elected as the leader of legislature party, has a tough time ahead so far as the fulfilment of party’s manifesto is concerned. Secondly he has to be very cautious in finalizing his cabinet as the INC failed to get any seat from districts Jammu, Kathua, Udhampur and Samba. To maintain the balance and unity between two regions he has to give representation to all sections of the people.
The first tenure of Omer Abdullah as CM from 2008 to 2014 was not easy ride and did not auger well for him. We hope that he might have learnt many lessons from his past experiences. We also wish that he would do better in the next stint and come to the expectations of the people who have reposed full faith in him. We all know that the powers of CM in UT are limited but he can prioritize some burning issues like unemployment, drug addiction among youth, pollution and illegal encroachment of river beds and wet lands, over tourism, management of eco-environmental balance, food and drug adulteration and production and supply of electricity. It would be better for him to work under the guidance of his father who with the age and political experiences has become more matured and wise.
There are many factors responsible for the NC’S thumping victory other than their past performance and history. The situation in Kashmir was favourable for NC and the ground was set for their victory in the recent elections. But one thing we must not ignore, the way in which the elections were conducted in free and fair atmosphere by the present dispensation, needs accolades. Therefore it is not the victory of any political party but of the democracy which is strengthening its roots in J&K particularly in valley after a long period.
(The Author is Retired IPS Officer (IGP). Feedback: [email protected])
