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| Here comes the biggest festival | | | | Finally, Jammu and Kashmir is face to face with most important and widely celebrated and, of course, most secular festival of a culture called democracy. This festival comes to Jammu and Kashmir once every six years unlike five year interval in rest of the country. After several rounds of meetings and an inordinately prolonged suspense, the Election Commission of India announced this pleasant news for the majority early on Sunday morning. This has put to end a political uncertainty which was not good in any case. This delay, it is understandable, was due to piquant situation prevailing in the state following Amarnath shrine land row. Despite assurance from the government at State and Center to provide all logistics and necessary manpower including security forces, the Election Commission took its own time in deciding the schedule. Obviously the major concerns before the Election Commission were legitimacy and credibility of elections rather than timing. There has to be a suitable political atmosphere for holding such an important exercise of right to franchise. Situation in the Kashmir Valley was certainly not suitable and it still continues to be doubtful for a fair and credible elections. The is wrong impression among people that entire Kashmir Valley does not want to go to polls which was holding the Election Commission back from announcing schedule at the cost of democratic aspirations of the people in Jammu and Kadakh regions. This, however, was actually not the case. There is a kind of atmosphere prevailing in Kashmir Valley where some elements opposed to the elections many not allow people to exercise their right to franchise freely and fairly. This is what challenges legitimacy of elections when people out of fear and prevailing atmosphere don’t turn up to cast their votes. The Election Commission had a valid reason to take due time in considering all the aspects of elections, particularly when exercise in Jammu and Kashmir becomes a matter of international interest. Jammu and Kashmir had to go to polls along with five other states –New Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and Mizoram. When Election Commission skipped a mention of Jammu and Kashmir while announcing schedule for these five states, there was a level of disappointment particularly in entire Jammu region, Ladakh and many parts of Kashmir Valley. Though there is not much improvement in the situation which had delayed elections, but the Commission appears to have adopted a quite strategic schedule to go ahead. A look at the entire seven-phased schedule reveals that areas of Kashmir Valley where people have very little involvement in the ongoing agitation have been listed first to go the polls and then the scope is broadened in a phenomenal manner with the usually tense Srinagar district as last to go the polls. It is expected that an impressive turn out in first two phases, in areas like Bandipore and Ganderbal may set a positive trend to follow in rest of the phases. Elections are after all spirit of democracy and people must come to participate for their role in the ruling system. |
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