Parties Demand Deferral of Polls in J&K

Contradictions between the ruling PDP and the BJP again came to the fore in Jammu and Kashmir when the two disagreed on the conduct of local body polls in the State. While the former, along with most other political parties, sough the postponement of the elections in the wake of rising tensions following the death of five civilians in army firing last week, the BJP demanded the conduct of the polls. The disagreements emerged at an all-party meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday. The Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party was the only other party to argue in favour of the polls. The PDP and the BJP had also taken contrasting stands regarding a probe into the role of the army in the death of the civilians.

Local body polls were last held in the State in 2011 after a gap of almost 40 years. The next round of elections, scheduled for 2016, were deferred after the Valley plunged into chaos following the killing of militant Burhan Wani and the subsequent army crackdown. In December, Chief Minister Mufti announced that elections would be held from February 15. However, the incidents of firing in Shopian district last week, followed by the 10-day shutdown in the district, saw a steep rise in tensions. On Monday, a 22-year-old was injured in Kulgam in another incident of firing.

“Yet again, it looks like panchayat elections will be postponed, which makes it very clear that the conditions on the ground remain unstable, thanks to government’s Operation All-Out. The army’s continued misconduct and provocative acts have contributed to vitiate the atmosphere sufficiently, leading to this situation. In any case, panchayat elections in themselves are fought on very local issues, and if even these cannot be held, it only shows that the situation in J&K continues to deteriorate rather than improve. This speaks volumes for the government’s ham-handed approach to these very serious issues, which require a political resolution,” human rights activist Gautam Navlakha told Newsclick.

Last year's parliamentary by-poll for the Srinagar constituency saw a mere 7% turnout and was marked by incidents of firing by the army. Many political parties and civil society groups have questioned how local body polls can be held when even parliamentary polls could not be conducted properly.

Advocate Mir David from Jammu and Kashmir Civil Society Coordination Committee termed these elections a futile exercise, which served no purpose and in which the people also were not interested.

Former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweeted that if elections are announced now, it would only be because of pressure from the Centre.

Reports have emerged of the BJP at the Centre exerting pressure on the State administration to hold elections. Reports say the Centre is willing to employ 40,000 paramilitary personnel to ensure the conduct of the polls in an attempt to convey the message that all is normal in the State.