Afaq Bhat
Srinagar, Dec 1: The revival of political activities in Kashmir and participation of the people in ongoing District Development Council (DDC) elections are an indication that forthcoming democratic exercises in the Valley can spring many surprises.
According to the observers, the political scenario is changing at a fast pace in Kashmir. “Participation of the people in the DDC polls is a hint that they want to become a part of the development process and are keen on getting their issues resolved,” said an observer.
He said, “People coming out to vote is a signal for the political parties that they will have to come forward with an agenda which is acceptable to the masses. These parties cannot keep on beating around the bush and whosoever wins will be left with no other option other than to deliver. Hollow promises won’t work. The politicians will have to come forward and deliver.”
A politician said, “The DDC polls are just a beginning. The parties will face the real test in assembly elections after the delimitation exercise is completed. We can have a situation like Jammu versus Kashmir. There are many aspects which the Kashmir based politicians will have to consider in coming days.”
He said, “Parties that have got a strong foothold in Jammu are claiming that they will turn the tables on the Valley based parties but it seems they are unaware about the ground situation. There are many regions in Jammu where Kashmir based parties have been holding the fort for the past many years. Even if the regional parties decide to contest the assembly elections separately these political formations can enter into a post-poll alliance later.”
The politician said, “The Kashmir based parties not shying away from taking part in the DDC polls is an ample proof of the fact that these political formations will contest whichever elections are held in future as these parties don’t want to leave the field open.”
He said, “The results of the DDC polls will decide the future course of action of Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration—an amalgam of Kashmir based parties, including National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party. If the PAGD performs well in the ongoing DDC polls we may see more alliances in the future.”
He said, “The PAGD has come into being for a bigger cause but that doesn’t mean that other issues can be ignored. We can expect a lot of developments after the DDC polls end.”
