The ongoing Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir are witnessing a notable absence: there has been no call for a boycott of the exercise from any quarters, just as there wasn’t one during the recent parliament election. This marks a significant departure from the norm established since the beginning of the separatist struggle in 1989.
However, the absence of a boycott call does not guarantee a high voter turnout in the Valley elections. The reason is that the poll boycott has become a default response among a significant section of people, particularly in urban areas. It is an over three decade old habit which may not go away easily. In the last election, Kashmir Valley polled 50.86 percent votes in the three parliamentary seats — Srinagar, Baramulla, and Anantnag-Rajouri
Since the early nineties, separatists have championed the boycott of elections, although this trend has seen diminishing returns over the years. The urban areas still witness significant boycotts but the rural areas generally experience higher voter turnout.
The question now arises whether people in cities and towns will vote in large numbers in the absence of a public boycott call. Many may still choose to boycott, but the most may not as the current trend suggests.
Election boycotts have often profoundly impacted the electoral exercise in the Valley. In case of boycott, even a candidate with little political influence could secure victory. Over the past three decades, there have been numerous instances where candidates with minimal support won elections by narrow margins, subsequently assuming prominent government positions.
The ongoing election will be crucial for cities like Srinagar, which have consistently boycotted polls since 1987 Assembly polls which were widely perceived to have been rigged. The city has been in a limbo ever since. Although there have been unprecedented changes in the region in the past five years, such as politicians campaigning deep into Srinagar’s interiors, active political participation remains elusive.
But more people are expected in the Assembly election. In recent years, people in the Valley have eagerly waited for the restoration of democracy. They have looked forward to the assumption of power by an elected government, giving them both a sense of involvement in decision making and also enabling them to hold the rulers accountable, something that is not possible under a bureaucratic rule. But a better and a representative elected government can only be formed if people participate in the election in large numbers. And they should.
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