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| J&K shuns BJP, PDP | | |
By Sushil Vakil
Just like other Indians the people of Jammu and Kashmir too voted for a change-peace, progress and development leaving behind emotional, religious and regional issues. Significantly, the 2009 Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be remembered for a host of reasons. It is the first election which passed off peacefully and witnessed the doomsday of two prominent political parties-the Bhartiya Janata Party and the Peoples Democratic Party. The results showed a dramatic transformation in the minds of the very people who once aspired for independence and self rule. Moreover, despite the election boycott call given by the separatists, the voter turnout turned out to be quite satisfactory.
The Lok Sabha elections-2009 clearly showed State’s return to normalcy and people’s yearning for the democratic process. Nonetheless, the election process and its outcome has conveyed to the world that all is now well in Kashmir and there is no more any movement for independence. The peoples whole hearted participation despite separatists’ campaign against the polls made it clear “nobody is listening” to the militants and their masterminds across the borders.
Given the past history of Indian elections, it is for the first time that people have rejected divisive and criminal forces in many states. Likewise, the people of J and K not only defied militants threatenings but also rejected leaders preaching hatred and sowing the seeds of communalism. Incidently, while Hindu dominated Jammu region gave a cold shoulder to BJP, the Muslim dominated Kashmir closed its doors to Peoples Democratic Party. Both the parties contested on the issues that suited their ideologies and agendas. The state BJP had no specific issue except regional imbalance while the Mufti father- daughter duo led PDP harped on “Self Rule,” Revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act, end to Human Rights violations and trimming of security forces in the state. Contrary to BJP and PDP emotive campaigning the Congress and National Conference mostly dwelt on secular and nationalist issues. This paid them good dividends at the end.
The ruling NC-Congress alliance bagged all the six seats in the state. This includes the Ladakh seat won by an independent candidate- a proxy of National Conference. While Congress succeeded in retaining both the seats in Jammu, the National Conference swept the valley. The BJP and PDP failed to open any account. Also to lose was the first separatist to contest election, Sajjad Lone. It is surprising that the BJP which gained in the last Assembly election due to Amarnath agitation, failed to capitalise further. BJP’s candidate from Jammu Leela Karan Sharma lost to Congress’s Madan Lal Sharma.
In Kashmir, NC scored a moral boosting victory by wrestling PDP bastion, Anantnag, after it was virtually wiped out of south Kashmir in Assembly elections. The reason for the change in the mindset of voters is attributed largely to ongoing violence, rising food prices, unemployment and falling incomes. It is quite interesting that people have openly admitted that they voted for a better future of younger generations. Moreover, the younger generation too wants development and education for the progress of the Valley. They dream of the Valley’s development; they want it to become as developed as other developed regions.
Indeed, the encouraging level of voter turnout indicates that people have reposed faith in the Indian Constitution. The percentage of voter turnout is likely to silence the doomsters. Besides, the encouraging participation clearly showed that people want democracy and believe in democracy. The average Kashmiri wants peace in the Valley, which forced him and his fellow-Kashmiris to participate in the election process.
It is good that the situation in Jammu-Kashmir is now changing for better; people desire peace in the Valley; they want no more of bomb blasts and firing in the Valley. They believe that if the institution of Parliament can be strengthened, it will become easier for them to earn their livelihood.
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