On the right path: On the announcement of elections in Jammu and Kashmir
Elections, as a first step, will address the yearning for substantive democracy in J&K
In the last-held Assembly elections nearly a decade ago, the mandate was split on communal lines with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) winning nearly all of the seats that it contested in Jammu, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the National Conference (NC) and the Congress winning most of the seats in the Valley. Much water has flowed down the Jhelum after the formation of the coalition government between the PDP and the BJP, an unnatural alliance that was doomed to fail. The NC and Congress had fought the 2024 general election as part of the INDIA bloc and there is the likelihood of an alliance between these parties and smaller ones in these elections. The need for like-minded parties, that agree on changing the status quo in the UT by bringing back statehood and promoting secular governance, to come together, is promising not only for electoral tactical purposes. It is an imperative in order to ensure that the discourse in the province, which has been beset with fresh waves of terrorism in Jammu and south Kashmir, is not communalised. An election that is contested on civic issues and rights discourses, rather than on communal lines, would help bring back peace to India’s northernmost province.