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| 36 internally-displaced Kashmiri Hindus won election unopposed | | Civic polls in Kashmir | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Oct 4: Governor's rule and the ongoing electoral exercise aimed at electing new municipal corporations and municipalities have turned out to be a boon for the Kashmiri Hindus, who have been living in refugee camps in Jammu since their forced exodus in January 1990.
Another additional factor that has really benefited the internally-displaced Kashmiri Hindus was the decision of the NC and the PDP to not participate in the ongoing electoral exercise on the ground that the state and central governments had not held out a categorical commitment that the authorities would not touch Article 35-A and that they would defend it in the Supreme Court. To be more precise, both these parties had said that they decided to boycott the ULB and Panchayat elections as the state government and the central government linked Article 35-A with the election process.
All these three factors in the Kashmir Valley's situation plus the Congress' virtual indifferent attitude towards the ongoing electoral exercise have so worked that internally-displaced Kashmiri Hindus have captured at least 36 wards unopposed, especially in South Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti's stronghold.
The BJP has fielded 325 candidates, 36 are Kashmiri Hindus, living in Jammu. These candidates were brought to Kashmir by the party leadership to file their nomination papers. After filing their nomination papers, they flew back to Jammu. After the election process is completed, these 36 Kashmiri Hindus, according to the party leadership, "will return to the Valley and work for the development of their respective wards". Reports suggest that while the BJP could head at least 7 municipalities in Kashmir, especially South Kashmir, Kashmiri Hindus are likely to head three municipalities in the Valley.
This is for the first time in 71 years that Kashmiri Hindus would have such a representation in the grass-roots-level democratic institutions. The victory of the Kashmiri Hindu candidates has rattled the Congress party. JKPCC chief GA Mir has said: "The BJP's unopposed victories in many seats have put a question mark on the credibility of the entire election process. They (BJP) couldn't win a single Assembly seat in the Valley and here they are leading. It puts a big question mark on the credibility of the polls. We have said at the outset that if you want a credible election here…you have to bring in all political parties. The NC and the PDP's poll boycott decision also left the field open for the BJP. The saffron party used money to get candidates". The NC has also expressed identical views and accused the BJP of imposing outsiders on Kashmir. |
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