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Amid the ongoing chill in Kashmir valley, it was a moment of excitement for regional political parties led by People’s Alliance Gupkar Declaration on Wednesday.
It succeeded to stop the saffron march and swept Kashmir in the first ever held District Development Elections. PAGD has won 110 seats in Jammu and Kashmir out of total 280 seats while the second largest political party BJP won 74 seats. Not only in Kashmir, the national party BJP witnessed a massive electoral damage in other districts of Jammu province though it swept 2 districts Udhampur and Jammu while securing 8 and 7 seats in Doda and Reasi, respectively.
Since the elections in the Union Territory were first time after the Article 370 abrogation in 2019, August, the local regional parties forged an alliance (PAGD) after facing immense threats from the saffron party which was brutally marching towards Kashmir, the only Muslim majority region in India.
“It was a strategic alliance of all local political parties to thwart the march of the saffron party,” said, Mir Hussain, a columnist. “If the local parties would not have contested the elections this time, their existence was under threat.”
The PAGD didn’t only do well in Kashmir; however, it also posed the tough challenges for BJP in Jammu province.
PAGD had described the forming of an alliance as an answer to the unilateral decision of BJP led government in centre to abrogate Article 370.
“It was a vote against the decision of August 5, 2019. People have told BJP through ballot that its unilateral decision was unacceptable to the people of Jammu Kashmir in whole,” said PDP spokesman Tahir Sayeed.
“We will fight for the restoration of our rights taken away by centre”
The National Conference Vice president and former Chief minister Omar Abdullah took a jibe on BJP for celebrating a victory in DDC elections.
“We have won many more seats in Jammu than they have won in Kashmir. It debunks their claim that we are a Kashmir-based party. We are a Jammu and Kashmir party. The BJP is a party of Jammu plains. If their three seats in Kashmir is a win, then ours is a landslide and tsunami,” Omar tweeted after visuals of BJP camp celebrating in Jammu went viral on social media.
“Today’s DDC results have made it clear that people of J&K voted en masse for @JKPAGD thus rejecting the unconstitutional decision to abrogate Article 370. They have overwhelmingly supported @JKPAGD which stands for restoration of J&Ks special status,” tweeted Mehbooba mufti after the results of DDC elections.
The regional parties who made significant gains in the DDC elections managed to take control of grassroots institutions. This would not only help them to retain their base on ground. However, many parties may consolidate and expand the cadre on ground now.
PDP which seemed to have lost the ground in Kashmir after the departure of so many senior leaders secured significant gains in the process. It has not only helped them to restore the confidence but the recent efforts of its party president Mehbooba Mufti who made public outreach seem to have returned gains.
Experts opine that the outcome of the elections have fully restored the confidence of regional political parties who might press centre for the Assembly elections now.
“The local parties who see the graph of BJP declining in UT might steer a campaign for the Assembly elections now.” said Ayaz Wani, a political commentator. “If the elections are held in near future, BJP may face more losses especially in its bastion Jammu.”
