J&K’s political parties are likely to take a collective decision on contesting the first-ever elections for the District Development Councils (DDCs) in the Union Territory (UT) later this month, as the experts are wary that these polls are being conducted to further delay the Assembly polls.
Also read: J&K's first ever district council polls from Nov. 28
“The leaders of the Peoples Alliance for the Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) are meeting in Jammu on November 7. The issue [DCC polls] will be discussed. Expectedly, it will be a collective decision,” veteran CPI(M) leader and convener PAGD M.Y. Tarigami told The Hindu .
The eight-phase polls will be held from November 28 in 20 districts, with each district constituting 14 constituencies.
A PDP leader, who wished not to be named, said the regional parties are in a fix over the issue and “require a wide-ranging discussion as we are witnessing a propping up of a new crop of politicians without facing any opposition on the political platform” in J&K.
“A process of disempowering the local parties was started on August 5 last year. These polls are also aimed at inventing a new political class to replace us. These polls have very little to do with governance issues. We have to tread cautiously,” the PDP leader said.
Also read: J&K district council polls soon
The National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which are part of the Gupkar alliance, had boycotted the panchayat and the urban local bodies elections over Article 370 in 2018. However, the Peoples Conference and the Congress, also part of the alliance, did contest these polls.
Fears over Assembly elections
Many parties in J&K fear that these polls are conducted to delay the Assembly polls further. The last Assembly polls were held in 2014.
“The DDC elections will give people some relief from the bureaucratic regime, put in place in J&K since July 2018. People are already feeling the political vacuum and certainly need restoration of democratic processes. But how far these Councils will help in filling the vacuum, in the absence of a Legislative Assembly and an elected government, is a question to ponder over,” Rekha Chowdhary, former professor and Head, Department of Political Science, University of Jammu, said.
She said the DDC elections, at best, should be seen as an effort to build the grassroots democracy.
Also read: Restore Kashmir's flag: Mehbooba
“The constitution of the State legislature in itself is going to take some time. The delimitation process is on. But are we going to live in the regimes of elected district and municipal and panchayat regimes for a long time? What would be the impact of this kind of fragmented politics on the common identity of J&K? It will be a great challenge to parties like the NC and the PDP,” she said.
BJP workers protest against Mehbooba
The BJP workers and other activists waved black flags as PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti arrived in Jammu on Thursday, first time since she was released from detention in October.
Extra security was deployed in Jammu to stop them from getting close to her cavalcade.
Ms. Mufti is in Jammu to meet the leaders there and arrive at a broad based consensus on the agenda of the Gupkar alliance.
