Srinagar: On the eve of the third anniversary of Article 370 abrogation, regional political parties have demanded assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir without delay saying that the Centre had “paralysed democratic institutions” in the Union Territory. The Governor's rule has been imposed in Jammu and Kashmir on 20 June, 2018, after the alliance between the BJP and the People's Democratic Party broke up.
On August 5, 2019, the Centre scrapped the special constitutional status of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state and divided it into two Union Territories Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. For the past four years, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have been deprived of a democratic government. Mainstream parties in Kashmir have demanded that Assembly elections be held right away to end the deadlock in the democratic process.
General Secretary of National Conference Ali Mohammad Sagar alleged that the Centre had “no policy” vis a vis Jammu and Kashmir. “The term of the J&K Assembly ended three-and-a-half years ago. The Centre has no policy. This is increasing people's woes whether employees or traders or labourers,” he said.
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Muntazir Mohidin, State Secretary of the Altaf Bukhari-led Apni Party, accused the BJP government at the Centre of paralysing democratic institutions in J&K. “You have paralysed the democratic institutions for the last five years. On one hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah make tall claims that all is well in J&K and on the other hand, they are not holding elections after illegally abrogating article 370 and making J&K a Union and Territory.
This shows how sincere are the PM and HM. Delaying elections in J&K reflect the Centre's failure,” Muntazir said. He asked if local bodies, panchayat elections can be held in J&K, why not assembly elections? J&K People's Conference leader, Basharat Bukhari, too, demanded Assembly elections in the UT without any further delay. “Elections should be held so that the MLAs have the power to mitigate people's grievances.
This is the appropriate time for me, but I don't know what would be the right time for them i.e; the Centre,” Bukhari asked. Bukhari said that the Governor's rule “cannot be a substitute for people's government in any case”. Pertinently, after the Delimitation Commission notified 43 seats for the Jammu region and 47 seats for the Kashmir region, the Union Home Ministry recently said that the date for Assembly elections will be decided by the Election Commission once the process of revising the voter lists concludes.
This is not the first time that the President's rule has been imposed in Jammu and Kashmir for more than four years. Earlier, the people here have also seen a long-term Governor rule of rule years between 1989 and 1996. It remains to be seen whether the Centre announces the dates for the first Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir UT in the coming days or not.
