Hope of Assembly Elections in J&K gaining momentum
Omkar Dattatray
Defense minister Raj Nath Singh has the other day said in a conclave in Jammu that the democratic process will be initiated soon in Jammu and Kashmir but he has not given any time frame for the elections and it is the good omen for the UT which has been on central rule for the last five years .The UT’s BJP and its leaders as well are in favor of early assembly polls in the UT .
The state president of BJP Ravinder Raina is very much optimistic about the outcome of the assembly polls in the UT and in Anantag Kashmir ,he has said that State BJP is in favor of the early polls and has demanded that early elections should be held in Jammu and Kashmir to give the people its democratic government.
It is good, positive and encouraging for the political parties, politicians and the common people of Jammu and Kashmir that earlier full election commission under the leadership of chief election commissioner will soon pay a visit to J&K to assess the ground situation on spot so that long overdue assembly elections will be held to pave the way for the installation of popular democratic government.
Thus there are indications of early elections in Jammu and Kashmir as there is all likelihood of assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Full election commission will soon visit Jammu and Kashmir to assess ground situation for holding polls. Full election commission headed by chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar will soon visit Jammu and Kashmir for on spot assessment of the ground situation in the union territory and this has generated hope and expectation in the political parties and the people for early assembly elections.
It is likely that the CEC will take a final call on holding assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir which are long overdue and announce the elections to give the estranged and alienated people of the union territory a chance and right to vote to elect a government of their choice. It was reported in the press a few days before that CEC in a press conference has acknowledged that there is political vacuum in Jammu and Kashmir which needs to be filled.
The full election commission will meet and interact with UT administration ,administrative secretaries DC’s ,SSP’s ,political parties and general public to gauge the possibility for holding early elections to give the people of Jammu and Kashmir an elected and democratic government .Only a few days back CEC has said that ongoing summary revision of electoral rolls will not affect the election schedule .
As per election commission ,final electoral rolls of Jammu and Kashmir will be published on May 10,unless the schedule is extended. The election commission will take feedback from all the 20 deputy commissioners ,SSP’s ,high government officers ,political parties of regional and national nature ,general public and all stakeholders before announcing the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir .
Thus now all eyes of the politicians ,political parties and the general public who are the real rulers in a democracy are set on the election commission and it is hoped that early assembly elections will take place to give the people of the UT their right to vote which has been denied to them from the last over four years as the UT is continuously under the proxy rule of centre through LG .
No assembly elections were held in J&K from July 2018.The CEC has said that various factors like weather conditions, Amarnath Yatra and G20 meeting etc will be taken into consideration before announcing the elections. Recently the leaders of political parties from Jammu and Kashmir had visited Delhi and met CEC and he has said that election commission is seized of the matter and decision to hold assembly elections will be taken after considering all factors .
The assembly elections in J&K have been overdue since PDP-BJP alliance fell apart in June 2018,after which the erstwhile state was brought under central rule .With the chorus for holding much awaited assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir is getting louder, the full election commission headed by CEC Rajiv Kumar will likely visit Jammu and Kashmir in mid April to assess ground situation .All these developments have generated hope and encouragement as well as positivity in the political parties and the gullible people of J&K for possibility of early elections. .
The words of CEC should not be taken lightly but seriously as they are meaningful and most likely will fill the political vacuum in Jammu and Kashmir during coming months .Thus the chances of announcing and holding the assembly elections seem to be bright at the end of 2023.The people of Jammu and Kashmir yarn for change and want that the democratic and popular government should be installed in Jammu and Kashmir to rid it from all problems and ills .
Therefore alienated and estranged people of Jammu and Kashmir want early elections so that they can vote and form a government of their choice. At present all most all administrative secretaries, DDC’s ,SSP’s and the top level administrative council is manned from the officers from outside the UT and thus they have no connect with the feelings and of the problems of the people as they cannot feel the pulse of the people and as such all problems are not solved but get compounded with the result the peoples aspirations are unfulfilled and they continue to suffer.
People of this border and sensitive erstwhile state and now a Union territory long for a change and hence are for the assembly elections to politically empower them so that they become masters of their destiny soon and their deprivation is removed and the elections are the only way to form the people’s government which is more responsive to the needs, concerns and issues of the people.
Therefore without any further delay the election commission should take a call and announce the much delayed elections to give some relief to the people and balm their hurt feelings and put an end to their political, social and economic deprivation. The BJP government of Modi-Amit Shah duo and the UT dispensation shout at the top of their voice that the situation has limped to normalcy in Kashmir post abrogation of article 370 and 35A but them in why are both these governments indifferent to announcing and holding the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir?
It is perhaps for the simple fact and truth that they see no future for their BJP in the elections of the disturbed UT and hence are averse to holding elections. But the election commission should hold its impartial and autonomous character and not come under the influence of BJP government and should announce the assembly polls to protect the people of the UT from more deprivation and alienation so that they continue to exude confidence on the centre and UT dispensation so that they exercise their right to vote in order to elect the popular-peoples government so that they will govern themselves and prove the credibility of both the centre and LG government.
Rest all eyes are set upon the powerful, independent and unbiased election commission so that it will take steps to announce and hold assembly polls to give the people of Jammu and Kashmir a peoples government which will work for the people. The clear hints dropped by the chief election commissioner that there is a vacuum rite large on the face of J &K and that full election commission will visit Jammu and Kashmir for on the spot assessing of the ground situation.
These hints clearly point towards the fact that assembly polls will be announced shortly and the revision of electoral rolls will not impede announcing and holding the assembly polls.
To conclude it can be argued that the assembly polls should be held to empower the people to elect their democratic representatives who will rule the UT with equality given a chance to elect government of their choice maintaining the federal character of the Indian federation. Hats Off to democracy that it will continue to shine like a star and allow its people to elect the government of their choice by exercising their right to adult suffrage and install a democratic and peoples government in Jammu and Kashmir which is broadly a people’s government to give a healing touch to the people of UT and announce assembly polls at any time now.
(The author is a columnist, social and KP activist)
