Kickstarting his election campaign in Jammu and kashmir on Wednesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi assured people that his party along with the help of INDIA bloc partners will ensure the restoration of statehood to the Union territory. Gandhi has, however, conspicuously stayed silent on Article 370 which his party has by and large accepted as a fait accompli. Outside Kashmir Valley, however, all parties in the country have come around to the BJP’s decision to revoke Article 370, which granted J&K a special constitutional status before August 5, 2019. Last year, during the last leg of Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, Congress had promised Article 371 for the erstwhile state. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had then pointed out that special status was not limited to Jammu and Kashmir, as there are several states in India which enjoyed this status under Article 371 of the Constitution. But ever since the party has hardly spoken on the issue but it has actively sought statehood for the union territory.
That said, Congress in J&K is in alliance with the National Conference whose principal demand is both the restoration of Article 370 and statehood. The two parties have finalized a seat-sharing agreement on all 90 seats in the union territory, leaving, however, one seat to the CPI(M)’s M Y Tarigami, who will contest from his South Kashmir hometown Kulgam. The NC will fight on a predominant majority of 47 seats in Kashmir Valley and the Congress will contest a lion’s share of 43 seats in Jammu. This, the parties expect, will ensure that the votes are not split which would give advantage to the BJP, a force to reckon with in Jammu division – that is, despite some recent disaffection in the region with the saffron party’s policies.
The Congress-NC alliance leaves out the PDP which otherwise is a member of the INDIA bloc. This leaves the PDP free to contest on all seats in the UT. The party could especially be a challenge in South Kashmir which remains its stronghold. In the District Development Council polls in 2020, the PDP had won 27 seats while the NC had secured 67.
On paper, the Congress-NC alliance looks strong and set to garner a majority of seats between them. But the BJP remains strong in Jammu and there are many imponderables that can play out in the form of Engineer Rashid’s Awami Itihad Party. One only wishes that there were more parties in an alliance in the Valley as this could have prevented vote splitting. Rather than pursuing short-term gains at the expense of long-term stability, the parties should prioritize dialogue and cooperation in order to address the multifaceted challenges facing the region. But there is still an option for a post-poll alliance. And it should be forged to ensure not just a better political and economic deal for J&K but also that the government works for all sections of society.
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