Jammu Kashmir: Long Wait for Elections Finally Ends
What’s most important to note is that this is not so difficult for the government to hold these elections as they are pretending. The most difficult elections were for Narasimha Rao.
Finally the Chief Election Commissioner announced the scheduled for the Assembly Polls in Jammu and Kashmir. As per the orders issued by the Election Commissioner, the elections shall be held in three phases. First Phase will be held on September 18, second on September 25 and the third and the last one on 1st October, 2024. The counting of votes will be held on 4th of October.
“Roshan ummeedein ab khud karengi goya apni taqdeer e bayani… Jamhooriyat ke Jashn mein aapki shirkat, duniya dekhegi na paak iraadon ke shikasht ki kahani’.
“Believe me, all of us when we went there… we believe in this,” says Chief Election Commissioner of India Rajiv Kumar, during the press conference Friday.
Poetry follows us everywhere - in the parliament or assembly, and now the press conference.
“This is going to be the shortest elections in the two decades history of Jammu and Kashmir”, the ECI added.
There are 90 seats in the assembly of J&K post delimitation, including 43 seats in the Jammu Region and 47 in Kashmir. Of these, 74 are general seats, 09 are reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates, and 07 for Scheduled Tribes.
The number of voters in the UT is 87.09 lakh, of which 44.46 lakh are men and 42.62 lakh are women. The final electoral roll will be published on August 20, 2024, the Election Commission said.
The phasing of the Jammu & Kashmir elections is significant, given that over the last two decades, due to the region’s security concerns, polls have consistently been held in at least four phases or more.
In 2002, polls were conducted over four phases in September and October. In 2008, elections were held in seven phases in November and December; and in 2014, they were conducted in five phases. It is important to note that all three election cycles were for the state before bifurcation.
In August 2019, the Union government carved out the Union Territory of Ladakh from Jammu & Kashmir. The erstwhile state had 111 seats – 46 in Kashmir, 37 in Jammu, and 04 in Ladakh.
Even so, in the wake of the recent terror attacks and considering that the Commission expected polls in the UT to witness more candidates than usual, the decision to hold polls over three phases comes as a surprise.
The phasing of an election depends on a number of grounds. The more difficult a state is, especially in the context of its security situation, the more the EC prefers to spread voting over an increased number of phases. This allows for the deployment of an adequate number of security personnel for each phase and gives them enough time to move between regions.
J&K has been without an elected House for five years now. The last election was held in 2014. Elections are being held in the wake of the Supreme Court order in December last year that set a deadline of September 30 for assembly polls to be held in the border UT.
What’s most important to note is that this is not so difficult for the government to hold these elections as they are pretending. The most difficult elections were for Narasimha Rao. He had the task to hold elections after the mass rigging of elections took place, the elections that changed the course of Kashmir political discourse.
If you must have noticed, there’s something common between the elections held during Roa's time and the elections that are going to be held now. In both, the elections have the backing of pro-freedom groups.
It was Shabir Shah, Nayeem Khan and Firdous Syed then and its Jamat e Islamia now. But the difference is of free will. The three were spoken with respect and were with full respect made to help government of India to hold elections. But this time, it’s because they don’t want to sit in jails or get their properties seized. Iron Fist is the reason now but it wasn’t then.
We need to understand the elections are much more like a remedy of getting rid of something they don’t want to deal with anymore.
But are these elections worth it?
These elections for me hold no value. A “power less assembly” is coming into existence. A chief minister with no powers will be elected. Ministers having no command over officers will be in the office. A complete toothless assembly will come into existence.
Jammu and Kashmir used to be the most powerful assembly but people used to believe that it’s just a puppet assembly that has to take permission from the Centre for every single move they make.
Now think what perception people must be holding regarding the Union Territory assembly which has been officially stripped of every power?
The last amendment gave absolute powers to LG over important issues and took away powers of Chief Minister to decide on them. The Chief Minister shall have no command over law and order and the police. Now think the important two departments will have no say of Chief Minister and even the other matters need the approval of LG.
The Home Minister has promised return of Statehood. But when will it be restored no one knows. It was announced while abrogating Article 370 that the elections will be held at the earliest. It however took 5 years. Now imagine when will the Home Minister fulfil the promise of Statehood.
All we have to do is wait because this is a very different assembly that Jammu and Kashmir will elect. People have no idea about how things will roll out. Let’s all wait before we make any hard comment.
[The writer Raqif Makhdoomi, is a law student and a human rights activist. Views are personal. The featured image used here is generated by AI.]
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