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| Several lessons for politicians from just ended Lok Sabha poll in J&K | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, May 7: A number of lessons from the just concluded Lok Sabha election for the state Government, for people and for politicians, including separatists, in Jammu and Kashmir.Number one lesson is that separatists' influence is confined to a few Assembly segments in the Kashmir valley. While AHPC(M) has its hold in three Assembly segments of interior of Srinagar, Hurriyat Conference(G) is king of Baramulla-Sopore towns and their immediate areas.
If the polling percentage recorded in the three Lok Sabha constituencies is any guide one can say that as far as the Anantnag constituency is concerned separatists have some hold in Pulwama district and partial influence in Shopian district. People in two other districts of Anantnag and Kulgam have ignored the separatists' call for poll boycott.
Similarly in Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency voters in Ganderbal and Budgam districts have rejected separatists' appeal for staying away from the polling booths. It was only in Srinagar district that majority of people stayed away from the polling process. And in Baramulla constituency voters in Kupwara and Bandipora districts have ignored the call for poll boycott. Though parts of Baramulla and Sopore towns witnessed clashes between protesters and security forces and a few incidents of bomb explosions in which three security personnel were injured. People in rural areas in these two areas cast their votes. And the overall voting percentage in Baramulla constituency was much higher than recorded in Anantnag and Srinagar constituencies
Number two lesson is: the entire regions of Jammu and Ladakh have rejected separatists' call for poll boycott. This is indicated by the heavy polling percentage in Ladakh constituency and by the moderate to heavy polling in the two constituencies in the Jammu region. And if some areas in the Kashmir valley polling percentage did not cross six it was the outcome of scare having been caused by militants who had resorted to gun, grenade and bomb attacks on Panchayat members, polling booths and on civilians.
Number three lesson. If people stayed away from the polling process in the Kashmir valley it was the outcome of their anger against the NC-Congress coalition Government. This way one can safely say that anti-incumbency factor too resulted in poor polling percentage. Also the very poor polling percentage in Srinagar district, which has eight Assembly segments and most of them having been won by the NC candidates in 2008 poll, indicates that supporters and workers of the National Conference had lost interest in the party affairs because of the wide gap between people and the NC legislators and Ministers.
Well by all standards one can say that it has been a vote for mainstream politics in the regions of Jammu and Ladakh. But in the Kashmir valley the match between the separatists and the mainstream politicians has ended in a tame draw. This way neither the separatists can claim to represent the aspirations of sentiments of people of Kashmir nor the mainstream politicians can claim that they have a hold on people in the Valley.
And last of all separatists' call for poll boycott may not even cause a few ripples in the Jhelum waters had they not received backing from subversive elements and from militants. Whatever may be the general perception security forces, especially the police and the paramilitary forces deserve the credit for preventing these subversive elements and militants from wrecking the entire poll process. |
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