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| Politicians have right to motivate their voters | | | Nirbhay Jammual
The calendar on protest marches, issued by the Coordination Committee in Srinagar, is not being treated by politicians and candidates contesting the ensuing election as a mere paper tiger. People, irrespective of party affiliations, continue to heed the call for Maisuma or Lal Chowk or Jamia Masjid Chalo. However, strict measures taken by the state administration have, so far, foiled all these marches. Will the call for Maisuma or Lal Chowk or Jamia Masjid or Kupwara or Budgam or Anantnag or Pulwama chalo, aimed at disrupting the poll process and the polling, be foiled by the administration on the days when people are expected to march to the polling stations for casting their votes ?The question is vital. Why so? It is important because hitherto the Government has not allowed the separatists to see their call for here or there chalo materialize because of strict enforcement of undeclared curfew restrictions. Such restrictions may not be permissible on the day of polling. If these restrictions are enforced it will not be possible for genuine voters to move out of their houses for casting their votes. Even if limited restrictions were enforced it would be difficult for the security forces to distinguish genuine voters from those keen to join the march.
Senior functionaries in the state Government say they are ready to facilitate people keen to cast their votes.They make it clear that for ensuring voters participation in the polling it is the duty of political leaders and the candidates contesting the election to motivate or persuade voters to cast their votes. These functionaries, some from the police, have made it clear that it is not the job of either the Government or the security agencies to encourage or force people to march to the polling booths for casting their votes.Kashmir watchers opine that the situation does not seem to be conducive for heavy polling. They are of the view that if the Coordination Committee is able to either create scare among people or an atmosphere in which voters were not able to come out of their houses on the days of polling one could expect very poor polling percentage and that too from the cities and the towns.
A highly poor percentage of polling could throw up an Assembly of multi-coloured, muti-faced members. Once it happend one should expect a Kichri Sarkaar worse than the PDP-Congress coalition. It could be a Government of diverse political ideology and ideas. In the formation of the Government even individuals and independent members could have to play an important role. However, field reports from the Kashmir valley indicate that there is no need for ringing alarm bells. According to these reports political leaders and the candidates contesting the election have started moving from village to village from vicinity to vicinity for motivating voters for taking part in polling. So far people have not dismayed those who seek their support. Several senior political leaders, when contacted, were candid in saying that it may be a poor turnout of voters in the towns but in the rural areas heavy polling was expected. Yes, they did not seem to dread the strength of the Coordination Committee in disrupting the polling process. They are apprehensive of the machinations of militants. Some of them say that so far militants have not appeared on the scene and once they do show up their activities could cast a thick shadow on the process of polling. Even Mufti Sayeed is not optimistic on normal polling. If it was a dismal show he would feel vindicated because right from day one he had been pleading for postponement of the election by two to four months as he was convinced that by then the situation would improve. |
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