Rameez Makhdoomi
Indian state for long had a strong weapon of electoral politics favouring its narrative in Kashmir. Whenever it felt cornered on the Kashmir dispute or human rights abuses the argument of high number of candidates participating in every election with impressive voter turnout in number of areas used to be a bearer cheque to win the debate.
Over the years with death of the so called mainstream politics due to varied reasons election process has lost its credibility and process has seen more bloodshed than active participation, with it sounding a death kneels to the forte of Indian state in Kashmir.
Now with the Urban Local Body elections it seems state has committed what one will call in soccer terms a big ‘self goal’ to its interests. As they say statistics never speak falsehood neither in sports nor in politics. At least 169 municipal wards in Kashmir will have no polls. One candidate withdrew from the elections on Wednesday, the last date of withdrawal of nominations for the third phase of the polls. As per the latest figures, as high as 179 candidates in Kashmir are likely to win the elections without contest, while 250 wards will face election in the next two weeks.
The pro state media, the tone of debates in Delhi used to be ‘go and fight the elections and prove your representative character ‘ and the moment a Kashmir panellist used to bring the state betrayal, mishandling and abuses he or she used to be silenced by dictum that election process is proof of people with us .
Nobody had thought like a dramatic Novel one day the same election process (once strong point of the Indian state) will become its Achilles heel. Firstly huge number of wards witnessing no election due to absence of even a single candidate is a big blot on the entire process. Secondly so many wards seeing the single candidate going through by virtue of no otter candidate in the fray marks another low. Thirdly wherever there is bit of contest it is still between very few quite contrast to even previous times of turmoil when scores of candidates fought for a single ward.
The one more point with gradual passage of time election day have witnessed more protests, more bloodshed than the long queues of voters that one used to witness even in the peak days of militancy .
In 1987 the rigging of elections had sparked a deadly turmoil the flames of which have given rise to unprecedented dissent and bloodshed and with year 2018 bringing nearly the demise of effectiveness of electoral process it should send alarm bells to the state. Pellets and bullets for long cannot crush the sentiment nor can bring any positive change.
Another biggest defeat tasted by the state this time is boycott which used to be a just separatist weapon has become mainstream with two major parties of Jammu and Kashmir state who have took bullets for state National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party deciding to stay away from the polls due to what they termed the fiddling of the central government with Article 35 A . This has in reality taken wind out of the sails of the state with NC, PDP echoing the politics of pro freedom strong horse Hurriyat Conference.
From 1996 to 2002 to 2008 and even 2014 elections were used as a bailout package over its crimes, mistakes and mishandling committed in the pain hit Kashmir. Indian State at almost every UN session in past thirty years used to drumbeat high voter turnout, the rank and file of its mainstream battery as its strong points now with these realities even it looks decimated.
Without a hint of doubt these ULB Elections have gone on to effectively kill the foundation forte of the Indian state over Kashmir with elections being reduced to a redundant tool having no meaning or fruits. State has definitely shifted from crazy mood to self suicide mood.
(The Writer is a freelance Journalist and can be emailed at [email protected]). The views expressed are authors own.
