The BJP’s decision not to field any candidates in the ongoing general election in Kashmir – the first in the region since the abrogation of Article 370 – has come as a surprise to many. While the party has put up candidates in two seats in Hindu-majority Jammu, it has skipped the three seats of the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley. The party’s decision to cede ground has caught off-guard many of its local members, who say they had been preparing for the polls since 2019. Political pundits feel that the BJP would have served national objectives better by fielding candidates, even if they lose.
Ironically, the BJP has been milking the Article 370 abrogation issue in speeches all over the country. Also, the hands-off approach towards the Kashmir elections is not total. BJP leaders in Jammu are asking the voters not to vote for the National Conference and the People’s Democratic Party, the two main players in the valley.
Interestingly, the NC and the PDP, which are a part of the INDIA bloc, consider the Lok Sabha elections a referendum on the revocation of Article 370 and the subsequent division of the state into two Union Territories. While both parties are fighting against each other, they are also engaged in a bitter battle with the Apni Party, founded by former PDP leader Altaf Bukhari, and Sajad Lone’s People’s Conference. They call Bukhari and Lone ‘BJP proxies’.
The Modi government has claimed that Kashmir has been transformed economically since it was stripped off its semi-autonomous status. During a visit to Kashmir before the elections were announced, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told a gathering of people at Srinagar’s Bakshi stadium, “People used to ask who will tour Jammu-Kashmir; now, thousands are. Friends, Jammu & Kashmir is touching new heights of development, because it is breathing freely now. This freedom has come after the removal of Article 370, which had been a barrier.” He also announced projects worth R6,400 crore to support local agriculture and tourism.
But, while there has been a toning up of the administration, locals and Opposition leaders say that several other factors have also increased the sense of alienation among people. This includes high unemployment rates, the absence of local representation in politics and alleged violation of human rights.
The BJP’s spokesperson in Jammu & Kashmir Sunil Sethi claims that elections are not a priority and their main objective is to win the ‘hearts of the people’. “It took us 75 years to fully integrate Kashmir with the rest of the country and we don’t want (to create) an impression that we have done this exercise just to win seats,” he said.
Scared to contest?
But critics say this is because the party leadership realises that securing victory in the region would not have been easy. While the ‘achievement’ may sell among the faithful in other states and among its cadres, removing the special status hasn’t gone down well with the people in the valley.
“If people were happy with the abrogation of Article 370, the BJP wouldn’t have hesitated to fight,” says Omar Abdullah, former chief minister & leader, NC. “But they don’t want to expose themselves, and to save their face, they have decided not to contest.”
Abdullah says that if the BJP had put up candidates in the valley, they would have lost their deposits. “The party in power at the Centre snatched away our identity and land rights,” he said at a rally in Batwara, Srinagar, while campaigning for Agha Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, the NC candidate for Srinagar. “Instead of establishing colleges, universities and schools, they opened liquor shops. They are pushing our youth into drug addiction.” Omar questioned the lack of progress on projects like the Batwara-Lasjan bridge, which was approved by the NC government a decade ago. On 16 April, six people lost their lives after a passenger boat capsized in the Jhelum. “Where is the development they speak of? We have not seen any bridges, health centres or schools being constructed,” he said.
In Jammu, however, the BJP’s campaign is centred on the abrogation of Article 370, the restoration of peace and the suppression of separatism. The party is also targeting ‘dynastic’ politics in Jammu & Kashmir. Indeed, the contrasting narratives regarding
the scrapping of Article 370 have come to define the campaigns of the key players.
Rakesh Joshi
rakesh.joshi@businessindiagroup.com