Dr Satwant Singh Rissam
Life in politics seems like a walk in the park, but it is not. It seems like social work, but it is not. Like other professions, it is one where you find people from many social, educated, and uneducated backgrounds fighting for social-political power associated with politics. There is always a lot for any politician to deal with, from long day hours to controversies to heated debates to enmities. Many complexities are involved in the political-social life of people in this profession. Don’t forget to add bullying, abusive behavior, and harassment from opposition parties at times to the family members as well. Sometimes things can become too much for people in politics and they go to jail for political decisions.
This is a critical light on the issue of toxicity in politics. But all that goes along and many politicians face this to manage and survive with the only desire to enjoy power, feel important and personally gratified, and gain financially by working within respective political organizations or through facing voters and winning elections. This all is set to return to Jammu and Kashmir as on August 16, the Election Commission of India announced the dates for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. The last Assembly elections were held in 2014 and after ten years every party will utilize its full strength to gain lost political space.
While parties are busy with election preparations and different strategies for both Jammu and Kashmir, voters too are excited to deal with the election process once again. This will be the first Assembly election after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 and so much has changed since then. In the 2014 Assembly elections, there were 87 seats now the number has increased to 90. And Ladakh is now a separate Union Territory. The permanent resident certificate has been replaced by the domicile certificate and it is unacceptable to many till now.
The successful hosting of G20 meetings, global investments, and Bollywood coming back, over the past four years has made J&K more appealing. Many rail-road infrastructure projects have enhanced connectivity in Jammu and Kashmir. Some represent these major achievements as pivotal chapters in the history of J&K. At the same time, former chief minister Omar Abdullah, a few days back told NDTV in an interview that, “the first order of business of the elected assembly should be to make it known not just to the rest of India but to the world at large that the people of J&K don’t agree with what happened to us on 5th August 2019, and then we start undoing what was done to us”.
Our democracy has a process for voicing disagreement or disapproval so what these newly elected members of the assembly will do or not do, will also be part of politicians participating in a healthy democracy. This was not an isolated political episode since the poll process was set in motion. Shuffling, resignations, switching political sides, and Ghar-Wapsi have begun. Congress has announced the replacement of Vikar Rasool Wani with Tariq Hameed Karra as its new chief in J&K to gain political sentiment in Kashmir. Also, Ex-minister, J&K Apni Party founder Choudhary Zulfikar, who has previously been associated with the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) joined Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) to improve further BJP’s presence in Rajouri-Poonch. In contrast, the BJP faced revolt and resignations from many districts after the ticket announcement.
Likewise, Former minister Taj Mohiuddin declared his decision to quit the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) led by Ghulam Nabi Azad. This signals the weakening of Ghulam Nabi Azad’s political value in J&K politics. The Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases from September 18. Until then, the political pot will boil much more and become a daily affair in Jammu-Kashmir politics reflecting even a ‘disturbing level of anger’ and maybe the politics of ‘divisiveness and exclusion’. You may or may not appreciate some political developments in the coming days, but we must collectively and loudly condemn the sort of political behaviors that have no place in our society irrespective of our political ideology.
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