“Encouraging for the revival of electoral polices in Jammu & Kashmir is the surge in polling in the strongholds of boycott politics in downtown Srinagar and parts of Pulwama district”.
Polling in Srinagar parliamentary constituency on last Monday (May 13) that saw second highest turn out (38%) since 1989 and the only highest one since 1996 is by all standards of understandabilities a marked shift in the mood of valley voters from boycott of yesteryears to ballot in the first major electoral contest in Post Article 370 abrogation scenario. Interestingly 2024 Lok Sabha elections unlike all previous electoral contests fought in post 1989 era are not marred by the boycott calls this time and incident free polling in Srinagar as such is the beginning of new phase of electoral politics in Jammu & Kashmir. Encouraging for the revival of electoral polices in Jammu & Kashmir is the surge in polling in the strongholds of boycott politics in downtown Srinagar and parts of Pulwama district including Pampore, Pulwama and Tral. The encouragement the voters of Srinagar are getting for balloting from the Prime Minister and Home Minister Of the country point to the fact that even top leaders of the country were more interested in Srinagar polling and less in polling across 95 other parliamentary constituencies which went to polls in the fourth phase of polling last Monday on May 13. The surge in polling in the ongoing 2024 parliamentary elections is undoubtedly the beginning of the revival of electoral politics in Jammu & Kashmir and the onus of firming up the roots of electoral politics as such lies equally on both regional and national level political parties in Jammu & Kashmir.
“With balloting gaining momentum in Jammu & Kashmir particularly Kashmir Valley the competitive politics is also consequently taking roots across Jammu & Kashmir. Surge in polling undoubtedly raises the standards of competitive politics anywhere in the world and same holds good for Jammu & Kashmir. It is as such for both the regional and as well as the national level political parties to raise the standards of public representation by their performances in the highest institutions of public representation like Parliament. After all respect for the public aspirations not only firms up the roots of electoral politics but it also strengthens the institutions of public representation.”
Counting the blunders of the past and engaging in a blame game over the conduct of previous election processes marred by either boycott or coercion won’t bring about political and economic stability in Jammu & Kashmir but a collective approach to firm up the politics of ballot for the purposes of securing the economic future of the people of Jammu & Kashmir demands and deserves an equal attention and intervention of the Central Government, the Election Commission of India and both regional and national level political parties. With balloting gaining momentum in Jammu & Kashmir particularly Kashmir Valley the competitive politics is also consequently taking roots across Jammu & Kashmir. Surge in polling undoubtedly raises the standards of competitive politics anywhere in the world and same holds good for Jammu & Kashmir. It is as such for both the regional and as well as the national level political parties to raise the standards of public representation by their performances in the highest institutions of public representation like Parliament. After all respect for the public aspirations not only firms up the roots of electoral politics but it also strengthens the institutions of public representation.
