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Kashmiris vote for democracy, reject separatism |
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The results of the Assembly elections held in seven phases in Jammu and Kashmir, which saw massive and unprecedented participation by the voters, are a stunning reassertion of the people’s faith in democracy and a rejection of the separatist elements, both in the state and across the Line of Control, who had given a call for poll boycott.
The voters, however, have delivered a fractured verdict, with no party in a position to form a government on its own. The People’s Democratic Party, PDP, has made substantial gains in the Kashmir valley, reportedly because of the support of the Jamaat-e-Islami and some sections in the separatist camp. But the National Conference has again managed to emerge as the single largest party in the State Assembly. Expectedly, the Congress has lost ground to the BJP in the Jammu region, because of the unhappiness of the region’s people with the Ghulam Nabi Azad government’s handling of the Amarnath shrine land issue.
It may be a hung Assembly but that does not mean that the major parties cannot form a stable government, with a little give and take. The National Conference chief ministerial candidate Farooq Abdullah has already indicated that he would not be averse to entering into an alliance with the Congress in the scenario that has emerged.
The aggregate voter turnout in the elections was above 62 per cent, a big improvement upon the 43 per cent registered in the last Assembly elections held in 2002. It was also the highest since the beginning of insurgency in the state in 1989. Remarkably, the voting exercise took place without any major violent incident. The apprehension of violence and thin popular participation because of the boycott calls given by the separatists was proved wrong.
Both factions of the separatist Hurriyat Conference, the moderates led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and the hardline group headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani admitted that the unthinkable had happened - voters had rejected the separatist plank long nurtured by them. While the polling in the Jammu region touched a record high, in the Kashmir Valley also, and even in some of the areas where the separatists claim to have huge following, voters queued up outside polling booths. Even in Srinagar, the area most influenced by the separatist ideology, there was a four-fold increase in the voter turnout, which went up from about five per cent in 2002 to 20 per cent this time around. In other areas of the valley, the polling was much higher.
Apart from the voter, the other factor responsible for the high turnout appears to be the faith in the impartiality of the Election Commission of India. Last time also in 2002, the polling process was generally free and fair. The voters appear to have recognised that they would be able to exercise their franchise in a free and fair manner because of the arrangement made by the Election Commission and came out in large numbers to give expression to their voice and aspirations. Significantly, the Election Commission on the eve of the start of the polling process had made it clear that while it would be making arrangements for a free and fair poll, it would not allow any coercion to make the people vote. People coming out in large numbers to exercise their franchise shows that they want to shape their own destiny through their sovereign right to decide the Government in Srinagar and Jammu which is to look after their needs and aspirations.
The separatists, though stunned by the large turnout in the Assembly elections, are now saying that the vote is not against their stand on the Kashmir issue. However, they admit that the high turnout means a setback for their “misguided” struggle for what they call azadi or freedom. The Assembly elections and the virtual sidelining of the separatist elements shows that their claim of massive support for a separatist or secessionist plank is far-fetched. The people of Jammu and Kashmir, including those living in the Kashmir Valley, would much rather participate in the democratic process and institutions which they share with the rest of the country.
The free and fair elections held in Jammu and Kashmir are in sharp contrast with the lack of any credible democratic structure in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and the Northern Areas, held illegally by Islamabad. The people living there have never been given the opportunity to express their viewpoint even in an imperfect manner. The administration there has been basically run by the Pakistan Army, functioning as an occupation force and imposing its will.
There will be another opportunity for the people of Jammu and Kashmir to express their viewpoint when Lok Sabha elections take place early next year. The turnout may not be as high at that time because Assembly elections generally indicate greater participation than elections at the national level. But the turnout in the Lok Sabha elections would be watched with interest by Kashmir watchers and also the international community. It is clear that the Assembly elections are a big setback for the elements which want to weaken the state’s ties with the rest of the country.
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