Municipal polls over, now Panchayat polls

Touching the Achilles heel of the two main Regional Parties of the State, the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party, the boycott call has neither made them any victorious nor conferred on them the stature of any altruistic nature. Their boycott got squandered and flittered away without making any impact whatsoever. Even the Hurriyat and other separatist and terror outfits took no note of that. Had they acted and performed as expected of mainstream political parties and cooperated in strengthening democratic process at grass root levels the need of which is felt more now than before , the due credit for that would have amply visited them .
On Oct16 evening, the entire process of Municipal polls in Jammu and Kashmir concluded with 35.1 percent turnout in four phases. It is , however, beyond comprehension that these two main political parties of the state taking the alibi of Article 35 A as the reason of their boycotting the Municipal and the approaching Panchayat polls took part in Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council polls in Ladakh, NC bagging ten and the PDP bagging two seats there . Does 35A not have Ladakh under its umbrella?
There are certain rules, liberal but fixed one in democratic process, known to all and no one could cast aspersions on low turnout in certain pockets or districts of the State on the whole. When compared to previous elections the records speak for themselves as regards the turnout percentage overall remaining hovering around under 40 percent in the State. Polling in Ladakh region was completed in first phase itself while in Jammu, it was all over in three phases.
There are certain important points worth noting in respect of these elections. Firstly, these elections took place absolutely peacefully and without any fuss or trouble. The security related arrangements were foolproof which ensured hassle free polling. Secondly, the impact of the threats and boycott calls by the terror outfits had no impact in Jammu , Ladakh, and other areas except in a few districts of Kashmir valley and with this, the entire world came to know that the so called Kashmir problem was not that of Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir but of a few districts of Kashmir only. Thirdly, in places like Rajouri, Thana Mandi and other areas where voting percentage was highest, followed by Kishtwar, Poonch, Doda, and then Kupwara, Baramulla and even Ganderbal in Kashmir and other hilly areas , high voter turnout called the bluff of terror outfits who using the subterfuge of religion keep on “championing” their cause. Fourthly, allegations of rigging which normally used to be tagged by elements inimical to democracy and rule of law, were completely silenced . Lastly, the allegations of “forcing ” people out of homes using the threat of forces could never be dared to be levelled as the lower turnout in Kashmir valley deflated their such move.
These elections had got nothing to do with issues like 35A and 370 which has been reiterated by Governor Satya Pal Malik who felt triumphed for his first daring decision fully backed by the Central Government to hold such elections in the State saying “Not a bird was harmed”. He confidently asserted that there were no complaints of malpractices or violation of the moral code or any interference by the State Government. “This was the best”, he confidently noted. With this background, way is paved for the Panchayat elections which are fast approaching and hopefully would be held peacefully as scheduled.

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