Rustam
Early Times Report
JAMMU, Dec 30: The 2014 electoral exercise in Jammu & Kashmir has been hailed by one and all in the state, barring the Kashmiri separatists, Pakistan and the decimated National Panthers Party (NPP). The ruling National Conference (NC), which could win only 15 seats, as against its 2008 tally of 28, has commended the Election Commission for organizing a free and fair poll. It was none other than Mustafa Kamaal, NC addition general secretary and critics of New Delhi, who described the Assembly elections free and fair. Not only this, he termed the agencies impartial. It was for the first time in 60 years that the Indian intelligence agencies remained neutral and allowed the people to elect representatives of their own choice, he said while reflecting on the manner in which the assembly election were held. It was great statement in the sense that the NC was considered by all as a party known for rigging the elections. The People's Democratic Party (PDP), which was in the opposition, too, hailed the assembly elections free and fair. It was the patron of the PDP, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who described the electoral exercise the most fair and fee. So much so, he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said, "the credit for holding a free and fair elections in J&K goes to Prime Minister Modi". The Congress, which also suffered a massive defeat, like the BJP, also have commended the Election Commission of India for organizing free and fair elections in J&K.
The JKNPP is the only party, besides many separatists, which has questioned the legitimacy of the latest electoral exercise in the state and demanded re-poll. The JKNPP, which had three members in the last assembly, this time was decimated by the people of Jammu province for reasons not really difficult to fathom. The most important factor that resulted in the fall of or decimation of the JKNPP was its inconsistent approach towards Jammu province and the State of Jammu & Kashmir as a whole. What did the Delhi-based chief patron of the defeated JKNPP Bhim Singh said the other day about what led to the comprehensive defeat of his party candidates during the meeting of the party leaders in Jammu? He said:"There is not an iota of doubt that the Assembly polls were rigged and manipulated by programming the electronic voting machines…EVMs have been discarded by many democratic countries in the world as not reliable. The countries like Germany, the Netherlands and many states in the US have discarded the system as a potential danger of vote fraud and more importantly, lack of transparency and verifiability". His arguments appear quite bogus, as not any other political player in the state, barring the separatists and Pakistan, raised even a little finger against the Election Commission of India. Indeed, Bhim Singh has tried to harm he paramount national interest in the state by questioning the legitimacy of the recently-held assembly elections. He would do well to review his whole stand on the Assembly elections in J&K. The best thing for him would be to withdraw his nasty statement. |
