Defection of any political heavy weight or a grass root level worker does not matter when the issue is of public aspirations and elections are about the local self governance. Denial of walkover by the partners of Peoples’ Alliance For Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) including National Conference, PDP, Peoples’ Conference, Congress and others to Jammu & Kashmir Apni Party in Kashmir and BJP in Jammu is sure to make DDC elections quite different from the last two rounds of Panchayat elections held after the fall of Mehbooba Mufti led PDP-BJP coalition government of erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state in the year 2018. Victory to partners of the Peoples’ Alliance For Gupkar Declaration would surely define their future road map for the restoration of the constitutional position of Jammu & Kashmir as it existed on August 4, 2019 but BJP retaining it’s electoral supremacy in it’s strongholds in Jammu region as demonstrated by it in last year’s parliamentary elections would be a blow to the struggle and survival of the Peoples’ Alliance For Gupkar Declaration (PAGD). For Government the transparency of the election process and election management amid covid-19 spread scare are the two big challenges. The future of the political parties’ bye and large lies in the challenges thrown up by their participation in their elections. The traditional parties owing allegiance to Peoples’ Alliance for Gupkar declaration (PAGD) have their survival at stake as this time they have to prove not only their supremacy in their strongholds both in Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu region but also have to show their capacity to resist the temptations of the central government even after their prolonged detentions. On the contrary the BJP is facing the challenge of retaining it’s position in it’s strongholds in Jammu region .
Though elections held for district development councils (DDCs) are about matters of local self government but poll planks of the contesting parties are about the restoration of the constitutional position of erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state and the citizenship rights of the Jammu & Kashmir residents on land and jobs modified in phases since August 5 last year.
While the failure of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) to reduce electoral space of the BJP in Jammu region would be huge political setback to it , the BJP’s failure to retain it’s position in any of it’s strongholds in Jammu region would throw millions of questions on the political wisdom of the central BJP leadership over last year’s August 5 decisions of the central government. Though elections held for district development councils (DDCs) are about matters of local self government but poll planks of the contesting parties are about the restoration of the constitutional position of erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state and the citizenship rights of the Jammu & Kashmir residents on land and jobs modified in phases since August 5 last year. The election is a game of wits and wisdom but as usual elections in Jammu & Kashmir have become the art of betrayals and backtracks.
