How satisfied were the voters in Jammu and Kashmir with the role played by Union government on critical issues?

When asked whether Jammu and Kashmir would be governed better as a State or Union Territory, two-thirds of the respondents felt that Statehood has the potential for better governance

Updated - October 11, 2024 03:36 am IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at the BJP headquarters during an event after the declaration of results for the Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, in New Delhi on October 8, 2024.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at the BJP headquarters during an event after the declaration of results for the Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, in New Delhi on October 8, 2024. | Photo Credit: PTI

Jammu and Kashmir has seen some momentous changes in the last five years. The abrogation of Article 370, the bifurcation of the State into two Union Territories, and an administration under the leadership of a Lieutenant-Governor. How do people of Jammu and Kashmir view the role of the Union government? After the National Conference(NC)–Congress alliance won a comfortable majority, the Chief Minister designate, Omar Abdullah has highlighted the need for a cordial relationship between the Centre and the government in Jammu and Kashmir. The CSDS-Lokniti survey points out some important perceptions of the people on critical issues linked to the Union government. Four key factors are highlighted here.

When asked whether Jammu and Kashmir would be governed better as a State or Union Territory, two-thirds of the respondents felt that Statehood has the potential for better governance. Only one of every ten favoured continuing as a Union Territory and one-seventh (14%) felt it would make no difference if it were a State or a Union Territory. Clearly, this election was seen as a step towards the Centre supporting the move for Statehood in Jammu and Kashmir (Table 1).

How did the people assess the performance of the government when it became a Union Territory? While people did concede that terrorist activities had decreased (47%), the report card did not have too many positives on all other indicators. People believed that prices of essential commodities had risen sharply, corruption had increased and employment opportunities had reduced (Table 2).

Voters also rated their satisfaction with the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. More than half the respondents were satisfied with the government performance while close to four of every ten were dissatisfied (Table 3). There was a marked difference in the way respondents perceived satisfaction with the Union government and this seemed to be linked to their voting choice. Two-thirds of those who were very satisfied with the Union government’s performance voted for the BJP. Close to a majority of those who were somewhat and fully dissatisfied and somewhat satisfied voted for the National Conference-Congress alliance. Evaluation of government performance was largely viewed from the prism of party support.

With election being completed and a new government taking charge, the focus will very much be on the equations between the Centre and the new government in Jammu and Kashmir.

The author is Director-Academics, NITTE Education Trust and the National Coordinator of the Lokniti Network

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.