Srinagar: The People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), a conglomerate of political parties seeking the restoration of Article 370, will control only eight district development councils (DDCs) in Jammu and Kashmir, despite the numbers favouring it in 12 districts.
However, the fact that the alliance managed to surpass the BJP’s tally is being seen as a victory against all odds. Some DDC members elected on the PAGD’s ticket were poached by rival parties and the UT administration also changed rules governing the elections, apparently to favour the BJP and its friendly parties.
The PAGD, which comprises the National Conference (NC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other smaller groups, managed to win the chairperson post in five districts of Kashmir and three districts of Jammu. The BJP secured the top slot in six districts, all of which were in Jammu, which is considered its traditional stronghold.
There are 20 DDCs in all. The Apni Party won two posts and the People’s Conference party also secured one top post. In three other districts, independent candidates were elected as the chairperson.
Among the PAGD partners, the NC candidates won the chairperson’s post in six districts, while the PDP and the CPI(M) won the berth in one district each.
Elections to the chairperson post were conducted between February 6 and 19. Only DDC members, who were elected in the elections held in November and December last year, were entitled to elect a chairperson and vice-chairperson in each district.
The PAGD managed to win DDC chairperson seats in Bandipora, Ganderbal, Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama, Kishtwar, Rajouri and Ramban district. The BJP bagged the key position in Jammu, Reasi, Samba, Kathua, Udhamphur and Doda districts.
Independent candidates won the chairperson seats in Budgam and Baramulla district of Kashmir Valley due to cross-voting by PAGD members against their candidates. In Poonch too, an independent candidate bagged the post.
The Apni Party won the chairperson posts in Srinagar and Shopian districts, where it had just three and two members in the DDC respectively. But it faced allegations of poaching councillors in both the districts and even former chief minister Omar Abdullah claimed that its winning candidate in Shopian was forced to join the Apni Party and NC leaders were detained there to facilitate horse-trading.
The People’s Conference, which parted ways with the PAGD, won the post in Kupwara, where its candidate was unanimously elected as chairperson.
Former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah. Photo: PTI
BJP’s strategy fails in 3 districts
The BJP’s strategy to gain control of DDCs in three districts of Pir Panchal and Chenab Valley regions through independent candidates and proxies failed, as the NC emerged victorious.
As part of its strategy, the BJP’s DDC members stayed away from the election proceedings on February 13 in Ramban, Rajouri and Kishtwar, where the PAGD was poised to head the DDCs with support from Congress or independent members, forcing officials to adjourn the meeting due to lack of quorum.
But after postponing the elections, the party failed to woo DDC members from other parties to vote in favour of independents or friendly parties, which eventually paved the way for the victory of the PAGD candidates in all three districts when elections were held on February 18 and 19.
Congress’s poor show
The Congress, which was once a significant player in J&K politics, failed to bag even a single chairperson post although it managed to win the vice-chairperson posts in Kishtwar and Rajouri districts with the support of the PAGD.
The party failed miserable in the polls despite being in power twice in the past two decades in Jammu & Kashmir. It shared power with PDP from 2002 to 2008 and with the National Conference from 2009 to 2014.
The PDP, which is continuing to face a rebellion after the BJP withdrew support to its government in June 2018, managed to gain control of only one DDC in the UT. This is despite the fact that it was the single largest party in the last assembly of Jammu and Kashmir. It had won 28 seats in the 2014 assembly polls, joining hands with the BJP to form the government.
Talking to The Wire, NC Lok Sabha member Justice (retiredd) Hasnain Masoodi said that the party is satisfied with the outcome of the DDC chairperson elections. He said the PAGD’s tally could have been higher if the administration had not “facilitated and encouraged” defections.
“We scripted the victory despite difficulties and hindrances. They [the administration] encouraged horse-trading in Shopian and few other places. We fail to understand how an independent candidate won the DDC chairperson election in Budgam despite the fact that the PAGD had nine DDC members there. How can a candidate change their political party after winning on the symbol of a particular party?” he asked.
Masoodi said their objective to fight the election was not to gain power or control the DDCs. These elections were thrust upon us and the BJP wanted to get post-facto approval for its August 5, 2019 decision through this exercise. But the outcome of these polls has sent a clear message to New Delhi that the people of J&K have rejected these decisions,” he said.
Absence of anti-defection law and change in rules
The Centre, as well as the administration of J&K, have come under criticism from different political parties for the absence of anti-defection laws for the DDC elections.
“The absence of anti-defection law for democratic processes encourages corruption. There is a need for an effective anti-defection law to respect the aspirations of the people who vote,” said CPI(M) leader M.Y. Tarigami.
Apart from the absence of an anti-defection law for the DDC chairperson elections, the UT administration quietly changed the rules governing the reservation roster for the DDC chairperson seats.
On October 24, the Department of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj came up with a sub-rule for the Jammu & Kashmir Panchayati Raj Rules, which mandated that the roster for women reservation as prescribed for the DDC constituencies shall also be applicable to the election of chairpersons of the councils.
This means that the first seat shall be reserved for women and the second and third will be kept open after the districts are alphabetically arranged.
But the rule was changed on January 11, when the department notified that the first and second seat will be open while the third will be reserved for women.
Interestingly, the two sets of contradictory rules were in vogue until January 22, when the government repealed the first rule.
The other questionable change in election rules was the extension in the timeline in electing DDC chairpersons.
According to rules unveiled by the department on October 17, the election of DDC chairpersons and vice-chairpersons should be held not later than 20 days after members are administered their oath.
All DDC members, except detained PDP leader Waheed-Ur-Rehman Parra, were administered their oath on December 28, 2020. So, the election of chairpersons and vice-chairpersons should have been completed by January 16, 2021.
But these rules were also changed on January 11, when the government notified that the 20-day period shall be computed from the date of the election authority issuing the reservation order for electing chairpersons.
The State Election Commission unveiled the reservation order on February 1, which meant that elections to these positions had to be completed before February 20.