Democracy triumphs in J&K as politics mainstreams
Image credit X.com @JKPDP
Akhilesh Yadav & Engineer Rashid show deep democracy reach in J&K poll
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, September 16: Campaigning for 16 Assembly seats in the southern parts of the Kashmir valley will end on Monday. While some people in parts of the Kahmir valley still mourned over a killed Pakistani militant, democracy by all accounts is emerging winner in the Union Territory.
The Samajwadi Party is also contesting the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections on its own. Jamaat-e-Islami is also canvassing for votes.
Besides mainstream political parties, there is a fresh crop of politicians vying for the people’s support. The Left and Sheikh Abdul Rashid, out on bail from the Tihar Jail, are also slugging it out in the Kashmir valley.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi had addressed one public meeting so far in the UT. Modi sought to portray the Opposition as weaklings in fight against terrorism.
The September 18 polling in the first phase will see the people queuing up before booths in four southern districts of Kashmir and Bijbehara in the Anantnag district.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hopes to outsmart the Opposition with its art of post-poll alliance formation with unlikely partners. The poll heat of the last few days has melted the rebel image of Rashid.
The Congress, the National Conference, and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have apparently succeeded to paint Rashid with saffron hue. Rashid is spending energy to assert that he is a bulwark to Modi’s ‘Naya kashmir’.
The first phase polling will be spread over in Anatnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama districts. Mehbooba Mufti has announced entry of third generation in politics in the valley. Her daughter Iltija Mufti hit the poll turf in the Bijbihara Assembly constituency.
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The South Kashmir within the security establishment has been known as the hot bed of militancy. Amid the poll heat, the security forces eliminated Lashkar-e-Toiba operative Abu Qasim in the region. Reports said that the locals clashed with the security personnel while body of Qasim was taken out in a procession.
A few of the security personnel have also lost their lives as they went in hot pursuit against militants. The poll schedule announcement by the Election Commission had come amid a sudden spurt in terror attacks which targeted the civilians.
But the shadow of fear is certainly not visible in the Kashmir valley. This can be gauged from the fact that Samajwadi Party fielded as many as 23 candidates in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections.
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Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi found no space to show the warmth of ‘UP ke Do Ladke’ in J&K. The National Conference spurned the SP chief Akhilesh Yadav’s requests for accommodation in the Opposition alliance.
Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah will address three rallies in Ramban, Kishtwar and Paddar on Monday. Modi had addressed a rally in Dodda. The BJP’s focus, predictably, is the Jammu region.
Rahul Gandhi flew to the US while the campaign in J&K gained steam. The Congress is yet to release the party manifesto. The BJP announced its list of promises days ago.
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