Elections 2019: Who Will Kashmiris Vote For This Time?
Image Courtesy: Hindustan Times
As Lok Sabha elections have been announced and Assembly elections are speculated in the immediate future in Jammu and Kashmir, there is simmering resistance on the ground, with debate and discussions on “the failure of mainstream parties” dominating the discourse. A constant hostility between voters and the political parties seeking votes is evident.
In Habba Kadal, the old city of Srinagar, a men’s salon was filled with locals discussing the nature of elections this time. Speaking to NewsClick, a local wishing anonymity said, “I have never voted, nor will I this time. I am here telling others why they should not vote. Every political party in the mainstream is India’s agent. I will only vote in the referendum. I have saved my vote for that. We have been betrayed by the Indian state and the regional political parties. And our abstention is our mark of resistance.”
Once a hub of Kashmiri Pandit (KP) families, Habba Kadal is now home to only 30-40 KP families. A Kashmiri Pandit, on the condition of anonymity, said, “The political parties have deceived us. Look at the condition of roads. We go out to vote when the environment here is not conducive to vote. They remember us only on the voting day and forget us for the rest. We feel betrayed.” The Arts faculty of Central University of Kashmir is known for the most progressive batch of students. NewsClick met few students at the art faculty to know about their views on the upcoming elections. A woman resting against a tree, said, “Media talks about mainstream parties. Who is mainstream? Hurriyat enjoys maximum support here. They are the mainstream here. These political parties are just the handiwork of Indian state.”
Another student, sitting next to her said, “To come to college, I have to cross at least 10 camps and you are asking why shouldn’t we vote? So many governments came to power saying they will remove AFSPA. Demilitarisation will be the first thing as they will do as they come to power. But none of this has happened. We are fooled.” While students expressed their discontent, few students spoke otherwise. A student from Arts faculty, who loves to paint said, “I want youth’s participation in the mainstream. Charity begins at home. I want parents to tell their children that there is dignity in living. Youth should join mainstream and be part of the process. Only they can bring change.”
Also Read: Jammu and Kashmir: Making Sense of Non-Sense
In the sub-district town of Kokernag in the far-flung district of Anantnag – locally known as Islamabad – the people are unaffected by the upcoming elections. Anantnag is popular for having longest delayed bypolls since 1996. It has been three years since Mehbooba Mufti vacated the Lok Sabha seat in 2016. A local told NewsClick, “Who wants to vote? We remain unaffected by these elections. Look at the condition of roads, water. There is a school nearby with 2,000 students but only 2 teachers. The hospitals are also not in good condition, there are no medicines. Nothing. They couldn’t win us through development. Do you think they are serious about solving the Kashmir dispute? They are not. They are looting public money and we are suffering here.” Another local, wishing anonymity, said, “I want to vote. My entire family wants to vote but we are under threat by militants. Whenever elections are round the corner, militants announce that whosoever will vote will get killed. I believe we can bring change but not through our dead bodies.”
“People have lost faith in the mainstream polity. They are frustrated over the electoral platitudes and no concrete process of the resolution of Kashmir issue. In fact, people in Kashmir now are disenchanted with everything that is seen representative of the Indian state of Kashmir. The failure of the mainstream politicians in standing up to the militaristic approach which could have brought some sort of relief to the people is another factor which has made the people to distrust the political system. We saw how during the 2014 elections, PDP made promises and then backtracked completely on those. Such backtracking is seen as betrayal and further dents the credibility of the mainstream politics,” said Basharat Shameem, former professor at Kashmir University.
Cafes in Srinagar are filled with debates on who to vote and why not to vote. In one corner, a group of young boys and girls are going through the history of Kashmir to see how the conflict can be resolved. On the other side, a group of middle-aged men are talking about the betrayals of the existing governments and future of the new party.
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