by Er Ishfaq Khaliq
In the final phase of elections in Jammu and Kashmir, it has become a common man’s question who is going to win the elections in Jammu and Kashmir everyone from Kashmir is indulging in a debate to find out the winners and the new government formation different sectors of the society have given different opinions the intellectuals of the society are in dilemma they are not finding a single party with true majority to form the new government over here.
The political parties with all their toiling efforts did the tough campaigning for the third and final phase of polling in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election concluded on Sunday (September 29, 2024) evening, with major political parties, particularly the BJP, Congress, NC and PDP, engaging in fierce exchanges over critical issues, including Pakistan, Article 370, jailed youth, terrorism and reservation.
The main political stalwarts like Omar Abdullah, Ravinder Raina, Tara Chand, Altaf Bukhari, and Muzaffar Beigh are in the fray for legislative assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
The political parties and their role
National Conference is considered the big name for the legislative assembly of Jammu and Kashmir followed by the Bhartiya Janta Party and the Peoples Democratic Party and the new figure of J&K the AIP led by engineer Rashid. National conference had been in power for the maximum time in J&K the PDP was found the alternative of the National Conference In Jammu and Kashmir with the maximum seat share in the 2014 assembly elections with its prime motive of restoration of article 370, releasing of youth and political prisoners from the jails and talks with the neighboring countries made it more popular his time by gaining good percent of vote share in the recently held parliamentary elections in Jammu and Kashmir. The Bhartiya Janta Party has a strong foothold in the Jammu region with some support from the Pirpanjal range and is expected to win the maximum seat share after the National conference in the assembly elections and is considered the strongest party to make the new govt in Jammu and Kashmir based on the geographic difference and different political ideologies of the regions it is believed that the govt formation in Jammu and Kashmir will not be easily for any party in Jammu and Kasher but more likely a collation govt may be formed in the region. The Congress, while not as dominant as the BJP in Jammu, is still expected to secure a substantial number of seats. The party’s national presence, combined with its relatively moderate stance, allows it to appeal to a broad cross-section of voters. However, it faces stiff competition from the BJP, especially in regions where the electorate is more polarized on issues of nationalism and regional identity. Engineer Rashid’s Awami Etihad Party has made it to public by winning the Baramulla parliamentary seat he defeated the tallest stalwart of politics in Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah thus, the engineer and his party AIP came to the light he is considered as the main party now among masses to tackle the issue of common Kashmiris he is belied particularly by younger generations as the true patriot and hero who could listen them and their genuine demands especially among younger and disenfranchised voters. Although AIP is not expected to win many seats, the party is projected to secure a significant share of the vote across various assembly segments. This widespread support may not translate into legislative power, but it signals the presence of an undercurrent of dissatisfaction with the mainstream parties.
Challenges for political parties
With the prime focus of political parties for the restoration of Article 370 and 35A, the people of Jammu and Kashmir feel a sense of loss and betrayal. Their hearts are to win as per the recently held election campaigns it was also sensed in the BJP front as well so are they are keen as Amit Shah the home minister and BJP stalwart said that we are restoring the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir after the assembly elections similarly people have voted for restoration of their faith and identity restoration of article 370 or statehood by BJP could be a healing touch on their wounds though it may be the BJP state government or the collation government in Jammu and Kashmir the prime importance at second place will be the job less youth of Jammu and Kashmir which are facing the betrayal by remain workless and unable to earn their lively hood the political mandate for the party in future will be strongest who will address the needs of the unemployed youth of Jammu and Kashmir.
This collation is expected to fall some seats short as Congress has little foothold in both regions but it is believed Congress can make it to the government as there is no political partner available to the other major political parties like BJP, However, this coalition is not without its challenges. The NC and Congress, despite their potential partnership, differ on several key issues, particularly in their approach to relations with the central government in Delhi. While the NC has historically taken a more assertive stance on Kashmiri autonomy, congress tends to follow a more centrist approach. This divergence could lead to tensions within the coalition, particularly when it comes to addressing sensitive issues like the restoration of Article 370, relations with Pakistan, and internal security policies. This collation is expected to fall some seats short as Congress has little foothold in both regions but it is believed Congress can make it to the government as there is no political partner available to the other major political parties like BJP.
If there is no alternative left then there could be national BJP collations it is difficult as the party ideas and ideologies different in all the ways but BJP being in power in the Centre and if no political partner will be a viable solution for formation of government in j&k then it could be a n option for both BJP and Nc with porime focus on development of the region however This scenario would be fraught with difficulties. The BJP’s stance on Article 370 and its overall approach to Kashmir are in direct opposition to the NC’s core principles. An NC-BJP coalition would likely face strong opposition from within Kashmir, where the BJP’s policies are deeply unpopular. Furthermore, such an alliance could lead to internal discord within the NC itself, as many of its members and supporters would be reluctant to partner with a party that has consistently opposed Kashmiri autonomy.
All three political parties may form the strongest collations government in Jammu and Kashmir with Nc-congress collations already on the cards it is believed they may fall short of some seats there will be no alternative better than this to approach to People’s Democratic Party as there are not different ideological difference’s at the critical juncture of time with no other alternativists collation will be also supported by congress as PDP is part of India alliance with congress at the Centre level.
The PDP being the collation partner in the past BJP and betraying PDP at the crucial juncture may create a hurdle for this collation but PDP, on the other hand, is facing betrayal in Kashmir due to its collation with BJP, the party’s smallest seat share is considered the collation with BJP years before love of common Kashmiri have turned into hate only because of the collations with bjp so there are small chances of this collations but nothing can be said due to low seat share of PDP in this elections
Final verdicts
AS J&K prepares for the announcement of election results, no single political party is expected to win the full major so collation partners are needed it will be in the form of a National Conference and BJP or National Conference, Congress and PDP will be time to watch but more thing which is to be indulged in action is the political instability, challenges faced by a Common Kashmir like unemployment, and tourism, so in this lies the peoples faith and these are the major challenges to be faced by any collations government. The new collation govt will need the commitment to address the issues of the common public.
The author can be mailed at ratherishfaqcivilbhcet@gmail.com
Discussion about this post