Sunil Sharma
writetomlapadder@gmail.com
Accountability and transparency ideals are not just decorative in a democracy, but they are the very bedrock. As these values fade, governance becomes mere performance, leading to decline in public trust. In Jammu and Kashmir, this erosion of trust is quite evident under Omar Abdullah led National Conference (NC) government, which took office in October 2024 with the promise of “development and dignity.” A year later this initial optimism that greeted their return to power has been directing its way to public frustrations.
The Legislative elections in 2024 marked the restoration of elected government in the state after prolonged period of administration under Lieutenant Governor. For many people, it was seen as revival of democratic voice and participatory politics. This revival led to higher expectations and therefore people anticipated responsive governance, better service delivery and a shift from bureaucratic governance to citizens voted government. However, the initial sense of renewal starts fading after a year of its tenure as many citizens started recalling the administration under LG, which is marked by procedural efficiency and accessibility. This irony reflected a deepening crisis of confidence in elected authority of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
The signs of true governance lie in its service, not in speeches. This year long tenure under Abdullah administration was dominated by public ceremonies, slogans and social media campaign, with limited sign of progress on the ground. Priority areas like employment generation, welfare delivery and administrative reforms are either incomplete or delayed.
Policy announcements moved quicker than its implementation and the politics of spectacle has overshadowed reform agenda.
Absence of transparency is one of the most pressing concerns under this elected government. The government has promised transparency, but it hasn’t t released any detailed updates on implementation of its manifesto. There are no accessible performance dashboards, citizen audits or any progress reports for public scrutiny. Governance has become opaque with decisions being made behind closed doors, therefore encourage the governance of exclusivity. This reluctance to share information undermines public trust in an era where citizens expect participatory and transparent governance.
“The worth of a state, in the long run, is the worth of the individuals living in it” was once quoted by John Stuart Mill. Governance that withholds information or evades scrutiny do lead to undermining of citizen’s participation, rather than empowering them. In present Jammu and Kashmir, people are not demanding for miracles, they are seeking and asking for clarity and fairness. And when that is denied, democracy begins to lose the very moral force that it is embedded with.
The NC government’s public welfare record only reinforces this growing unease. The promises of huge employment generation, women’s empowerment, rehabilitation of displaced people, better education and healthcare remain mostly unfulfilled. Recruitment drives are mostly delayed and therefore projects remain unfinished and these hurdles led to slow welfare delivery mechanism. Frustration is the persistent sentiment being there among young people who were earlier hopeful. And development becomes more rhetorical than being real.
This is not only administrative shortfall but it reflects a philosophical challenge. The National Conference party, with the long political legacy, has relied on emotional narratives of identity and victimhood to sustain support. But electorate of today seeks measurable progress, not the rhetorical reassurance. Emotional politics is not the replacement for performance-based legitimacy. When the citizens question their governance, mere pointing to the structural challenges or the limited power cannot be the only response to legitimacy. Leadership is tested when there is courage to accept responsibility.
The NC government’s engagement with the criticism has also been defensive in nature. The opposition parties and civil society groups repeatedly raised their concerns about corruption, recruitment delays and uneven resource allocation. Rather than engaging in constructive politics, administration has frequently responded with silence and victim card of being powerless. A government’s strength lies not in dismissing its criticism, but in addressing it with data, transparency and humility. The absence of open communication has deepened public scepticism regarding the sincerity of the UT government.
While the period under LG lacked democratic representation, but it did provide substantial administrative predictability and served the vision of our PM Modi for a better Jammu and Kashmir based on the principle of good governance. The comparison is hardly flattering for the elected government because citizens are now demanding both democracy and delivery, freedom and functionality. If the elected leaders are not meeting that expectation, the very legitimacy of the electoral politics risks is being questioned.
The Abdullah administration still has the time and mandate to restore its confidence in public. It can be done by institutionalizing transparency i.e. publishing quarterly progress reports, strengthening grievance redressal systems and inviting citizen’s feedback in policymaking.
Ideally, Politics is strong and slow boring of hard boards, a process that requires perseverance, planning and discipline. The government must show that the governance in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir is not just about symbolism but it is rooted in systemic reform. People’s faith in democracy cannot be sustained by mere ceremony; it must be earned through accountability which should be consistent and transparent.
The social contract between citizens and the state, as John Locke envisioned rests on the mutual trust, the belief that authority exists to protect rights and serve the common good. When governance turn opaque and unresponsive lead to weakening of trust, and subsequently democracy itself becomes fragile in nature. Restoring public trust is not just for citizens, but it is essential for the credibility of elected institutions.
Justice delivery through good governance would serve multiple purposes like it would reaffirm the moral legitimacy of the National Conference, strengthen public institutions and restore people’s faith in democratic representation. If the government succeeds in translating its promises into a measurable action, through transparency, responsiveness and citizen participation, It would not only improve the image of its party but also redefine the meaning of governance in Jammu and Kashmir.
What defines leadership is not how power is acquired, but how responsibility is carried. The people of Jammu and Kashmir are not yearning for grand gestures from the Abdullah govt., but they seek sincerity, fairness and visible progress. The NC government under Abdullah has the opportunity to turn this moment of scepticism into some kind of renewal. By embracing openness and accountability, it can rebuild trust and restore dignity into democratic governance, transforming disillusionment into hope and governance into genuine public service.
(The author is LOP in Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir)
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