‘Unpopular decisions’ by J&K administration have given impetus to political parties.
SRINAGAR: While the BJP has already said that it is up to the Election Commission of India to hold polls in Jammu and Kashmir, the local parties, led by sitting MP Dr Farooq Abdullah, has raised the issue of holding polls with Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar. Recently, a collective delegation led by Farooq Abdullah, with maximum political participation by the Jammu region, met the Opposition leaders at New Delhi who have assured them that they will visit Jammu and Kashmir in May to understand all the issues confronting the common people.
National leaders of the Opposition have said that they will hold a conclave and all the issues confronting the people of Jammu and Kashmir would be deliberated upon for taking any further action. They have said that immediately, there should be Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir and that statehood must be restored. While Farooq Abdullah and most of the leaders were camping at New Delhi, DAP president Ghulam Nabi Azad was addressing rallies, assuring people to bring new laws to protect their land and jobs.
Similarly, J&K Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari has been politically very active in the past few months, holding delegate meetings and public gatherings. He recently said in one of the gatherings that the current administration should stop doing evictions or any other action, as there would be change in a few months as elections would be held. GhulamNabi Azad is concentrating on the Jammu region, while Altaf Bukhari is concentrating on the Kashmir region in order to consolidate their recently floated political parties.
At New Delhi, Farooq Abdullah told media that there is no justification that the delimitation exercise has been completed and the boundaries of the electoral constituencies have been redrawn, adding: “Now, we want the democratic processes to be restored and requested the commission to announce the polls at the earliest.”
Earlier, a three-page memorandum was submitted to the Chief Election Officer by J&K parties which was also signed by the Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, NCP leader Sharad Pawar, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, T.R. Baalu of the DMK, AAP leader Sanjay Singh and others.
Omar Abdullah said, “You conducted elections in Tripura and Nagaland. You are going to conduct elections in Karnataka. Are not panchayats functioning there? Then, why are you not conducting elections here.” He said that the BJP is “gripped by fear” to conduct elections in J&K. “Is it because you are fearing that you will lose the elections? They (BJP) know they will be badly defeated if elections are held here.” All said and done, the recent “unpopular decisions” taken by the J&K administration, including the anti-encroachment drive, has given fresh lease to the political parties, especially to the Gupkar Alliance, and they are trying to capitalize on it.