Though BJP cited failure of Mehbooba Mufti in restoration of peace and order in Jammu and Kashmir the main reason for pull out that led to the fall of PDP-BJP coalition government but in less than a month after the fall of the Mehbooba government the Governor N N Vohra and his three member team of advisors have set the process of panchayat and municipal elections without taking on board the contesting mainstream political parties. Keeping in view the last minute countermanding of the Lok Sabha bye elections in South Kashmir Lok Sabha constituency by Mehbooba government last year and withdrawal of the announcement of the conduct of panchayat polls within less than fortnight during assembly’s budget session in Jammu early this year the administrative and political wisdom demanded that governor N N Vohra should have called an all party meeting to take the views of contesting mainstream political parties . Unfortunately the government has announced the decision to hold panchayat and municipal elections without taking on board the contesting political parties and the decision of the Vohra administration to announce conduct of panchayat and municipal elections without consulting contesting mainstream political parties speaks volumes about its intents of imposing an unwanted elections on an unwilling electorate in the present hostile security and political atmosphere in Kashmir valley. As the fact remains that thousands of candidates would by all probabilities join poll fray if government plans to hold panchayat or municipal elections in the state ,even naives can understand that candidates tending to participate in the panchyat and municipal elections won’t risk their lives in the present hostile law and order atmosphere in Kashmir and they can’t also persuade people to come out and vote even by using any back channel methods in presence of the present hostile political and security atmosphere in Kashmir valley.
Political and administrative wisdom demands that Vohra administration instead of taking any decision in hast over the conduct of panchayat and municipal elections takes adequate measures for restoration of normal political activity in the state particularly in restive Kashmir valley.
Keeping in view the present hostile security and political atmosphere in Kashmir valley the governor should take the views of the contesting political parties before initiating any election exercise in the state as otherwise any unilateral decision by the government would by all probabilities prove counter productive. Political and administrative wisdom demands that Vohra administration instead of taking any decision in hast over the conduct of panchayat and municipal elections takes adequate measures for restoration of normal political activity in the state particularly in restive Kashmir valley.
