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| Think twice before finalising poll dates | | |
Though the three-member team ,led
by the Chief Election Commissioner,has
stated,after visiting Jammu and Kashmir, that they will discuss the issue of holding the Assembly poll in the border state after they return to New Delhi,indications given by V.S.Sampath suggest that the Commission is opposed to postponing the election.Inside reports said that the Election Commission members plan to hold the Assembly poll in Jammu and Kashmir on time after the Army authorities informed the Commission that they will create an atmosphere which was conducive for the poll.The Commission members were for holding the election on time after they were assured that relief and rehabilitation work may not suffer owing the elections. It is not yet clear whether the Election Commission members will discuss the issue with the Union Home Minister or the Prime Minister or with the senior functionaries in the Home Ministry and the PMO.It is not yet clear whether the Commission members discuss the issue fresh among themselves.Yes the Army authorities have made a commitment on providing a safe and secure atmosphere for pre-poll campaign nd polling and in this connection over 60 companies of paramilitary forces were being deployed for poll duty in Jammu and Kashmir.It would have been better had the Election Commission members and the Union Home Minister given a thought to the devastation caused by floods in Jammu and Kashmir.
Those who favour postponement of the election do so because they seem to be right in saying that majority of people are engaged in securing rehabilitation and restoration of the damaged infrastructure.Over 30,000 people have been displaced owing to repeated ceasefire violations on the IB and the LOC in Jammu and Kashmir.Are these people more keen for finding a safe place for living in the light of the ensuing winter season or are they keen about participation in the poll process ? This is a question that merits attention from the Chief Election Commission and the Union Government.Yes,the members of the Election Commission seem to have been influenced by most of the mainstream political parties which stand for holding the election on time.It is almost National Conference,which wants the poll to be postponed,versus the rest.What is surprising is the way the Congress,which shares power with the NC,is in favour of holding the election on time.Other major parties that oppose postponement of the election include the BJP, BSP and the PDP. Now that the BJP has won power in Haryana and emerged as the single largest party in Maharashtra its leadership may favour holding the election in Jammu and Kashmir on time as it believes in the dictum of make hay while the sun shines. Though the BJP does not have strong base in the Kashmir valley it wants to achieve electoral gains from the Jammu region,which has 37 seats,on the basis of its belief that the majority of people feel enraged over the Congress-NC coalition "misrule." The BJP leadership could secure advantage from peoples' anger against the Congress,which has pockets of influence in the Jammu region.The Kashmir centric PDP leadership is of the opinion that peoples' anger against the National Conference could get reflected through their votes against the NC.And vote against the NC would mean vote in favour of the PDP. Whatever may be the permutation combination worked out by different parties one thing is certain that the Kashmir valley may witness very poor polling.And to ensure that majority of voters remained indoors on the days of polling agencies across the border were gearing up for pushing groups of militants into Jammu and Kashmir. These agencies,including the Army,that has been engaged in repeated ceasefire violations, want more militants to be pushed into Jammu and Kashmir so that the level of violence was raised forcing majority of voters to respond to separatists' call for poll boycott. All these issues need to be kept in mind by the Chief Election Commission before announcing the schedule for the election. |
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