Indian held Kashmir’s assembly elections 2014 and beyond

The analysts partaking in the session ‘Indian Held Kashmir’s Assembly Elections 2014 and Beyond’ reviewed recently held polls in Jammu and Kashmir and interpreted them as per their perceived symbolic significance as well as in the backdrop of region’s electoral history and the prevailing political landscape of the state.

The session, which was held at IPS on January 22, 2015, was chaired by Brig (r) Said Nazir and addressed by research scholar Awais Bin Wasi and DG-IPS Khalid Rahman.

Wasi interpreted through various facts and figures as to how the partitionist approach and the policy of trifurcation of the state played a part to raise BJP’s tally in Jammu and ignominious retreat in the valley.

“The speaker termed BJP’s foreshadowing of polls as the seminal reason behind this unprecedented success in the Jammu area, which saw the party paying unproportionate attention to the state, inaugurating mega projects in Jammu and Ladakh, terming the issue of Kashmiri Pandits  as ‘a national concern for the government’ and allocating financial package of 500 Crore Rupees for their return to Kashmir Valley, five visits of Indian PM in quick succession  before elections, and the party’s commitment to the abrogation of article 370, which grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir
The speaker observed the separation of ‘dispute’ and ‘governance’ by the electorates of the state suggested that the settlement of the dispute was yet to be made and the high turnout might not be construed as the settlement of the issue.

The overall election, he said, yielded ‘split-mandate’ and a consequent political stalemate, followed by the imposition of governor rule which created further uncertainty.

Brig (r) Said Nazir contextualized the Kashmir elections in the broader strategy of BJP vis-à-vis the state of J&K and Pakistan and explained Ajit Dovel’s Defensive Offensive Doctrine in the background of Kashmir issue and the party’s aggressive posture.

The experts were of the view that the pro-freedom Kashmiri leadership should capitalize on the political vacuum, given the PDP and BJP alliance is formed, by broadening their political space, narrowing down their divergences, and solidifying their Muslim identity construct in the valley and other Muslim areas. They also suggested Pakistan to develop a unified national narrative over Kashmir issue.