Srinagar- From a young age, Faheem Bashir accompanied his father to polling booths to observe the voting process, eager to exercise his own voting rights one day.
Faheem, a resident of North Kashmir’s Bandipora district turned 18 in 2021, and is now very excited to vote in the Lok Sabha elections. His constituency is scheduled to go for polls in the fifth phase on May 20.
“I was very happy to see my name on the voting list. This will be the first time that I will be voting and choose my candidate,” Faheem told Kashmir Observer.
Faheem, a college student, wants to elect a government that will reconsider the reservation quota recently implemented, aiming for a fairer distribution of opportunities.
“I will vote for a party that will abolish the 10% reservation quota that was granted to Paharis from the General/open merit category a few months ago. The total open merit or unreserved segment has shrunk to around 36% from the previous 45-50%.”
On 15 March, 2024 the Jammu & Kashmir administration approved 10% reservation for newly-included tribes, including Paharis, in the Schedule Tribe (ST). The Council also approved the addition of 15 new castes in the list of OBCs in Jammu and Kashmir and enhancement of reservation in favour of OBCs to 8%. The bill will provide reservation in jobs, educational institutions.
This has raised concerns among people from the Open Merit category and the Gujjar and Bakarwal community has also criticised the government for granting status to the Pahari community, calling the move “arbitrary and unconstitutional.”
“Jobs and employment are a priority. Reservation is always proportional to population, and the reduced quota is a huge injustice to general category aspirants,” Faheem said.
Faheem’s priorities match many of those his age.
Humaira Jan, from Kulgam, recently took the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET UG). Despite her rigorous preparation, Humaira grapples with uncertainty about her chances.
“The highly competitive nature of the exam is only one factor, the recently implemented reservation policy adds another layer of complexity to the selection process,” she said, adding, “It’s crucial that we elect representatives who understand and prioritize the concerns of students like me.”
“Unemployment looms large over Kashmir. I see friends with higher education and degrees than mine remaining idle at home,” Wahid Hassan, another first-time voter, said.
“Our elders have been boycotting elections for years, but I will definitely vote. This time it is about development. It is about the daily issues that impact our lives.”
For many youngsters, these elections are more important and significant, particularly in view of the abrogation of article 370 by the BJP-led government.
“I have decided to cast my vote to express myself. The people should also come to vote and tell the world whether they are happy with the abrogation of article 370 or against it,” Kamran Bilal, a resident of Srinagar said.
In Jammu and Kashmir, there are 3.40 lakh first-time voters, with 1.35 lakh of them being female first-time voters.
Besides, the Election Commission (EC) is undertaking an unprecedented effort to reach-out to the first time voters across the three constituencies through the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme.
Various programmes including lively Nukkad Natak, Mehandi art competitions, Tiranga rallies, cultural shows were organized in a spirited effort to boost voter participation in elections.
A number of colleges and schools in the valley are bustling with campaigns to draw first-time voters to polling booths.
Political parties are also leveraging the power of social media, to lure the young into polling booths. Campaigning and efforts to secure votes are increasingly extending into the virtual realm.
Mir Seerat, a student of Women’s College M.A Road Srinagar, said, “I’m thrilled to cast my maiden vote. I’ve realised the importance of voting over these years.”
Seerat expects development which consists of inclusive growth, employment opportunities, better living conditions including education & health from the candidate to whom she is voting.
Political pundits in the valley argue that upcoming elections will be the most interesting elections in the history of Kashmir, particularly in shaping the political direction of Kashmir.
Mir Tahir, 20, from North Kashmir’s Bandipora district believes that the elections will end the “political vacuum” in J&K which occurred due to the absence of a democratic process.
“Over the last four years, people felt the importance of mainstream politics due to many reasons and that’s why everyone is excited for the elections to neutralize the bureaucratic rule,” Tahir added.
In popular government, Tahir said, an elected leader is connected with his ground level worker and is easily accessible.
However, amidst the fervor of upcoming elections in Kashmir, there’s a notable segment of the young population expressing skepticism about the impact of their vote.
“I don’t think much is going to change as I don’t expect any party to solve our problems,” 24-year-old Hadika said.
“Nobody in my family has ever cast a vote, I don’t think I will either,” another first-timer said, adding, “No more false promises now.”
Pertinently, in view of the ongoing elections all the political parties, except BJP are reaching-out to the people in J&K aiming to persuade them to cast their votes in their favor.
All the leaders are busy in attending rallies in different parts of the valley. A number of youth conventions, worker meetings and central committee (CC) meetings have been held by all parties.
While the INDIA block alliance is looking forward to keeping the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at bay, the ruling party has decided to not contest elections from the three seats of the valley.
The political parties in Kashmir allege that BJP is supporting their alliance partners including Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party and Peoples conference—a claim strongly denied by both the parties.
The five constituencies are Baramulla, Srinagar, Anantnag-Rajouri, Udhampur and Jammu. While the elections in Jammu and Udhampur are over, the elections on the three seats of the valley are scheduled to be on May 13, May 20 and May 25.
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