Owais Ayoub
Srinagar 16 December (KNB): The people’s participation in the District Development Council (DDC) elections and rallies of different political parties across Kashmir following the removal of Article 370 has expedited.
The assumed non-participation of people in any political developments, after the passing of Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill 2019, has been given a wide berth by the same people.
While scouring for the stance of different political parties of Kashmir on the participation of people in ongoing elections and rallies across Kashmir, they expressed their views to the Kashmir News Bureau:
People want Development and Facilities
Despite the region’s chill weather and chilling season of politics last year, the voter turnout in J&K was 51.5 per cent in the DDC’s recent sixth phase polling.
While talking to Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party spokesman, Javid Ahmad Beigh, he said, “The people are suffering economically and no sign of development is seen from some years. The people sell their dreams when the election starts and are involved in its process. If people are coming for votes and rallies, a party should not make them dejected by not fulfilling their needs. We should focus on the betterment of people and their development.”
He also added that the issues of people are poverty, hunger and unemployment. The people want the redressal of their matters and to fill the political vacuum, so that there will be proper supervision on the system.
However, Senior BJP Leader and former MLC Sofi Yousuf said that people are coming out to participate in rallies and drawing votes because the people have seen a number of benefits from the BJP led government at the centre. “The facilities like direct benefit transfer, depositing money in the accounts of widows and others have changed the perception of people.
The DDC elections will help in the development of a particular region and the contestation of it the first time with BJP at the centre make people understand whom to support,” said Yousuf.
He further added that people throng to the election rallies in large numbers which has left him completely surprised.
While Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura of PDP maintained that this vote is for the purpose of the development, the people have been put out due to no change in development which BJP was touting since August 5, 2019. “To resurface the development in J&K by electing local leaders, the people are coming out to cast their votes,” he said.
Voting for Art 370 Restoration
However, talking to the senior Journalist Hilal Hanjuri, regarding the people’s turn up for the voting after the revocation of article 370, he said that the people are expecting that local leaders will make their bid to restore the article 370 especially PAGD’s promise to reinstate the article. “There was also a demand of people to see regional parties united so that anything possible within the ambit of the Indian constitution to restore article 370, can be done from them. That is why people are purportedly casting their votes to throw their weight behind the PAGD alliance,” he added. (KNB)
