The prospects of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Election seem bleak despite the Supreme Court order to conduct the polls by September 30.
In the parliamentary elections, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference won two out of the three seats it contested. The BJP too won two seats, while Independent candidate Abdul Rashid Sheikh also known as Engineer Rashid clinched the Baramulla constituency.
The founder of Jammu and Kashmir Awami Ittehad Party, Rashid, is creating a lot of buzz among the youths of the region, with a large number of them joining the party, according to sources.
Most candidates are being pitted against those who are pro-government. Prof Bari Naik, an assistant professor of Geography at Government Degree College (Women) Udhampur, who was the Joint Secretary of J&K Awami Ittehad Party, was dismissed from service by the Union Territory government in 2021 under Article 311.
Bari had filed a petition in the court on April 16, urging the Election Commission of India (ECI) and Anantnag deputy commissioner (returning officer) to accept the candidature of the petitioner and allow him to contest as independent candidate for the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary seat 2024.
Sumbal, Sonawari, Bandipora and Badgaon are surprisingly showing huge support to such a separatist party, as per the sources. Baramula, Sopore, Handwara and Kupwara have traditionally supported separatist parties.
Engineer Rashid’s party has started his homework of scouting candidates against the nationalist leaders. His brother Khurshid will resign from his government job and will contest from his home constituency Mawar.
Zahoor Ahmad Bhat could another candidate. A senior lecturer of political science, Bhat was suspended for arguing against the scrapping of Article 370. The Jammu and Kashmir government, however, revoked the suspension order and asked him to “report back for his original place of posting”.
Jammu and Kashmir Awami Ittehad Party candidates will be contest against People’s Conference chairman Sajjad Lone Sajjad Lone, Ghulam Hassan Mir from Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party. The candidates are being selected based on their social media presence and their anti-government of India stance.
These candidates, including Bhat, had recently gone to the Election Commission in New Delhi. Hakeem Yaseen, chairman of Peoples Democratic Front, was also in the national capital for registration of his party.
In 2024, Jammu and Kashmir witnessed its highest poll participation in the last 35 years. The Combined Voter Turnout (VTR) at the polling stations for the entire Union Territory (5 Lok Sabha seats) was 58.46% in the General Elections 2024, whereas Srinagar was 38%.
Due to the security situation in the valley, only 14.43% of voters turned out in the Srinagar seat in May 2019. In 70 polling booths of the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, not a single vote was cast due to the fear of violence that year.
Since 1996, Srinagar has seen a rather unstable voter turnout – 14.43% (2019), 25.86% (2014), 25.55% (2009), 18.57% (2004), 11.93% (1999), 30.06% (1998), 40.94% (1996).
In 1996, there were only 11 candidates in the fray, 10 in 1999, 13 in 2004, 15 in 2009, 14 in 2014, and 12 in 2019.
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