After the abrogation of Article 370, the revocation of semi-autonomous status given to the state of Jammu and Kashmir and its division into J&K and Ladakh. The first DDC (District Development Council) elections took place, coupled with surprises.
The objective of the DDC election is to aid dynamic economic development by electing 14 candidates from different rural and urban areas to become members of the District Planning committee.
It was conducted in 8 phases till December 19, 2020 and the results are on the similar lines of 2014 Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections.
The Gupkar Alliance (People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration) came out victorious by winning 110 seats most of them belonging to the Kashmir Valley region. The National Conference (NC) lead by Mr. Farooq Abdullah won 67 seats and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) lead by Mehbooba Mufti won 27 seats.
On the other hand, the Bhartiya Janata Party won 75 seats most of them belonging to the Jammu region. Furthermore, Congress won 26 seats, Independent Candidates won 50 seats, Apni party a BJP ally won 12 seats, PDF won 2 seat, National Panthers Party won 2 seat and BSP won 1 seat out of the 280 seats.
It was noticed that the victory of Gupkar Alliance was a result of higher winning share of contested seats than BJP because of its poor strike rate.
DID NULLIFICATION OF ARTICLE 370 PROVIDE ANY POLITICAL GAINS TO BJP IN KASHMIR REGION?
On the other hand, another question revolving around the DDC elections is that did the striking of Section 370 benefit BJP in the Kashmir region.
The Bhartiya Janta Party did win 3 seats in the Kashmir region but it is important to understand that the DDC elections are smaller when compared to an Assembly or Lower House election and since this is the first time the elections are held after the government’s decision, the benefits from it cannot be determined so soon.
THE RELIGIOUS DIVIDE IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR
Another important aspect affecting the elections in Jammu and Kashmir is related to its religious divide and communal polarization. The Muslim population is in a majority. As per the 2011 census, the Kashmir region dominates with a 96.4 % Muslim population of the total population 10 districts. Whereas the Jammu region comprises of 62.6% Hindus.
Hence the 20 districts can be divided into three groups where 11 districts are Muslim dominated, 4 districts are Hindu dominated and the rest is a mixture of both. Thus, BJP’s victory is dominated by Hindu voters in the Hindu districts and the Peoples’ Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) won majority of its seats in the Muslim dominated regions.
THE VOTER TURNOUT PLAYS A KEY ROLE
The voter turnout for the DDC election this time in J&K was 51% with only 1/3 of the total registered voters coming out to vote from the Kashmir region.
The percentage of eligible voters who could cast vote always play a significant role in any election specially in Jammu and Kashmir. This has been so since 1980s when the participation of voters decreased because of militancy. Since then, the voter turnout has been low specially in the Kashmir region.
However, when compared to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the voter turnout in Kashmir is 15% points more but still 22.5% points less when compared to the Assembly election that were held in 2014.
Currently, the results of the two constituencies of North Kashmir namely Bandipora and Kupwara are awaited. Moreover, the recent claims made by Mr. Omar Abdullah, vice-president of the National Conference (NC) regarding the J&K authorities “collecting” independent candidates for BJP has initiated discussions as the independent candidates will play a key role in determining majority.
BY- VAIDEHI JOSHI
REFERENCES
- https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/people-have-spoken-pay-heed-omar-abdullah-to-bjp-after-local-polls-2342253
- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/jammu-kashmir-ddc-election-results-key-takeaways/articleshow/79925958.cms
- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/srinagar/jammu-and-kashmir-district-development-council-elections-all-you-need-to-know/articleshow/79657648.cms
IMAGE SOURCE:
- https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/the-number-theory-understanding-the-ddc-election-results-in-jammu-and-kashmir/story-JjJ6fMjzP2DXcn0LTMpM6H.html
- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/jammu-kashmir-ddc-election-results-key-takeaways/articleshow/79925958.cms
- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/srinagar/jammu-and-kashmir-district-development-council-elections-all-you-need-to-know/articleshow/79657648.cms