‘Mockery of federalism’: Regional parties dare BJP to hold polls

Naseer Ganai

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Srinagar, January 23

With the Chief Electoral Office publishing the final electoral rolls, regional political parties in the Union Territory have dared the BJP to hold polls in Jammu and Kashmir.

They have maintained that the BJP has no confidence in J&K and the party is delaying polls for the same reason.

People being led away from mainstream

The hunger of the BJP to remain in power and the tendency to push people away from electoral processes is allowing anti-social elements to wean people away from the mainstream. Mohit Bhan, PDP spokesperson

Elections after lok Sabha polls

We have never shied away from elections. There will be announcement about elections to panchayats, urban local bodies and the Assembly once the 2024 Lok Sabha polls get over. Manzoor Ahmad Bhat, BJP leader

“Ideally, after the publishing of electoral rolls, there should be an announcement of polls in J&K. However, we have seen how in the last five years, these processes have led to absolutely nothing. For the people of J&K, processes by the ECI have become a punishment,” Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference (JKPC) spokesperson Adnan Ashraf Mir said.

He added that Assembly polls should have been held long ago. “It’s unjust to deny the people of J&K their legitimate right to elect a government. We can only hope that elections are held at the earliest,” Mir said.

PDP spokesperson Mohit Bhan said the BJP had lost confidence after its unilateral decision of August 2019 when it abrogated Article 370 and bifurcated Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories.

“They are so scared that the most cherished project of Modi, i.e., panchayat and local body polls, are also being delayed on one or the other pretext,” he said.

“The BJP senses a clear rejection by people, more so in its four stronghold districts of Jammu region. If Assembly elections are held today, they will use every trick in the book to avoid embarrassment. They have made a mockery of constitutional mechanism and federalism,” Bhan added.

He said the hunger of the BJP to remain in power and “pushing people away from electoral process” was allowing the anti-social elements to wean people away from the mainstream.

On Sunday evening, the Chief Electoral Officer had said that final electoral rolls had been published in all polling stations. Now, there are 86.93 lakh electors, including 42.58 lakh female and 44.35 lakh male voters. The elector population ratio has improved from 0.59 to 0.60 and the gender ratio from 924 to 954.

“These exercises don’t matter as long as there is no announcement of the elections. We don’t see any possibility of the Assembly elections in the near future, given the approach of the BJP,” National Conference spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said.

BJP spokesperson Manzoor Ahmad Bhat said the saffron party has never shied away from the elections. “There will be announcement about elections to panchayats, Urban Local Bodies and the Assembly once the Lok Sabha polls are concluded,” Bhat said.

He added that the BJP’s “excellent” performance in the parliamentary polls will show regional parties their worth.

“In the past four years, we have empowered grassroots democracy in J&K and we are going to benefit from it,” he said.

At present, J&K is without a Legislative Assembly. The last Assembly elections were held in 2014, leading to the formation of a BJP-PDP coalition government led by Mehbooba Mufti. However, the coalition ended in 2018 after the BJP withdrew its support to the Mehbooba government and since then Assembly polls have not been held in J&K. Jammu and Kashmir is also without panchayats and Local Urban Bodies.

On January 9, the five-year term of 28,000 representatives from 4,291 Panchayat and Block Development Councils ended.

The last panchayat elections were held in November and December of 2018, and municipalities had their elections in October of the same year. Panchayat elections scheduled for October-November last year faced delay due to OBC reservations, following an amendment to the Panchayat Raj Act.