“A mature and encouraging response to the parliamentary elections shows not only the readiness but also the desperateness of the people for the assembly elections.”
The highest turn out (53%) after decades of boycott in Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency shows unprecedented faith of the people in democracy and such a huge turnout puts greater responsibility on the contesting political parties irrespective of results likely to be announced on June 4. Notwithstanding the complaints of the detention of the agents by different political parties the polls went incident free with no complaints of rigging from anywhere in Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency spread almost over five districts including Rajouri and poonch districts of Jammu province. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself and Home Minister Amit Shah congratulating the people of Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituencies the highest turnout has been undoubtedly acknowledged by the top leadership of the country. A mature and encouraging response to the parliamentary elections shows not only the readiness but also the desperateness of the people for the assembly elections which have been promised not only by the Prime Minister and Home Minister of the country but also by the Election Commission Of India (ECI). The steady and a stable journey of the electoral democracy started in the aftermath of Article 370 abrogation with the introduction of three tier panchayat system is likely to come to full circle with the conduct of proposed assembly elections likely to be held by August or September this year. The surge in the voter turnout in Jammu & Kashmir is very rightly attributed to improvement in the security situation not only by the Prime Minister and Home Minister of the country but also by the Election Commission Of India (ECI) and eye watchers both in Srinagar and Delhi.
“A mature and appropriate response beyond expectations to the parliamentary elections shows that winds of changes are blowing across Jammu & Kashmir and this unprecedented change is a big boost to the electoral democracy which did not see any rise for decades together. The surge in voter turnout by all probabilities is a new chapter in the post 1989 political scenario in Jammu & Kashmir and the onus of further stabilising the electoral democracy lies on both national and regional parties.”
The high turnout in the just concluding parliamentary elections in Jammu & Kashmir has undoubtedly set the trend for a higher turnout in the proposed assembly elections hopefully to be held by August or September end. Now it for the political parties to collectively contribute to growth and expansion of electoral democracy before the announcement of proposed assembly elections in Jammu & Kashmir. A mature and appropriate response beyond expectations to the parliamentary elections shows that winds of changes are blowing across Jammu & Kashmir and this unprecedented change is a big boost to the electoral democracy which did not see any rise for decades together. The surge in voter turnout by all probabilities is a new chapter in the post 1989 political scenario in Jammu & Kashmir and the onus of further stabilising the electoral democracy lies on both national and regional parties.
