Will NC come back?

All the phases of Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmirare over and now everyone is waiting for the results. Kashmir recording lowpolling percentage has thrown the field open. It’s not easy to predict a winnerbut trends indicate that the anti-incumbency factor may have helped theNational Conference in all the three parliamentary constituencies in Kashmir.

People, who observed the polling trends in central, southand north Kashmir, were of the opinion that people, who came out to vote inthese areas were unhappy with the Peoples Democratic Party, which had won allthe three Lok Sabha seats in 2014 polls in the Valley. After winning theParliamentary elections, PDP won 28 seats in the Assembly elections held in thesame year, and went on to form the government in Jammu and Kashmir along withthe Bharatiya Janata Party. 

   

Soon after the PDP leaders came into power they shiftedtheir bases from their native villages to high security zones in Srinagar andJammu cities. They lost total contact with the people, who had voted for them.The PDP leaders ignoring their grass root workers and the electorate, who hadbraved militant threats and ignored the boycott call given by the separatists,were left in lurch by their elected representatives.

The PDP led government couldn’t much even on the developmentfront in the Valley. On the other hand BJP leaders and ministers ensured thatdevelopment works in Jammu region are expedited and the people who had votedfor them are entertained. Many people believe that this factor could have gonein BJP’s favour in Jammu region.

The PDP leaders need to sit back and introspect why thepeople have rejected them and have reposed their faith on the “Grand Old Party”of Kashmir—National Conference—which many had written off after the 2014election results were declared. People of Kashmir had high hopes on the PDP asit had emerged as a strong alternative for the National Conference but theparty (PDP) after reaching its zenith failed to deliver. The infighting amongthe PDP leaders is no secret and the party falling apart after losing the poweris an ample proof of the fact that people who had come together to challengethe National Conference had one common aim i.e. to “grab power.”

It’s unfortunate that after coming into the power theseleaders completely forgot that it’s the people who had given the mandate tothem and had made them reach the power corridors. It looks like that  now the same people, whom PDP leadersignored, have shown them their right place. It seems that PDP is all set to geta big shock in south Kashmir’s Anantnag parliamentary constituency from wherethe PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti is contesting. The polling percentage in southKashmir was dismal as it stood at just 8.70%. The areas which were consideredto be the strongholds of the PDP witnessed either no polling or very lessvoting. The PDP chief appears to be staring at her first defeat in herpolitical career.

Many people believe that credit for the resurgence ofNational Conference goes to the PDP and its leaders, who made tall promises,but failed to deliver on the ground. The new faces that have appeared on thepolitical arena of the state would take sometime to establish themselves and itappears that it’s NC which would return to power in state after the Assemblypolls are held.

Speculations are rife that Assembly elections in Jammu andKashmir may get delayed till November. It means that PDP and the new partieshave still got sometime left. If they are able to regroup themselves and makepeople believe that they are better than National Conference there is somepossibility about voters changing their minds.

The recent Lok Sabha polls have made one thing amply clearthat political parties in Kashmir have not been able to strike a chord with thecommon people. Had they been able to do so, the overall voting percentage inKashmir could have been on the higher side. Only a miniscule population comingout to vote has sent alarm bells ringing in the camps of all the parties astheir existence is directly linked to the participation of people in theelections.           

(The writer is a former Journalist and member of JK YouthAlliance)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

four × 3 =