Omkar Dattatray
Democratic Government or people’s Government is definitely far better than the presidential or governors rule. For so many years Jammu and Kashmir is reeling under central rule through or Governor’s rule and people have no access to the corridors of power as there are no peoples representatives and as such there is big void between the rulers and the ruled in a central dispensation. The assembly elections are long overdue and there is urgent need to hold the assembly elections so that people will be vote in favour of their own government and the void between the rulers and the ruled is bridged. The political parties of the regional character and the national political parties are all in favour of holding the assembly elections so that people can elect a government of their choice which can heal the wounds and scars of the alienated people and peoples’ alienation will come to an end. It is important for the establishment of the peoples rule in a democracy, that the elections of the assembly should be held to give a right to the people to elect their own democratic government. The people who are the real sovereigns in a democracy cannot and should not be denied their right to cast votes and elect their own government. It is undemocratic and unconstitutional to deprive the people of their right to elect the government of their likening and therefore it is necessary that the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir should be held at an earliest date. Thus the election commission of India should take a call and declare assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir so that there is a democratic and peoples government in place which can satisfy the urges and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The gullible people of the Jammu and Kashmir have faced much difficulties and inconveniences in the absence of a duly elected government as there is no democratic and peoples government from the past so many years and this has resulted in the alienation of the people and the people have no access to the powers. Therefore it is necessary that the people be given a right to elect their own government which will be responsive to the people, s problems and can wipe tears from the eyes of the masses. There is a big void and gap between the people and the government in a Presidential rule or Governor’s dispensation and to eliminate this gap, there is need for the installation of the peoples government so that the problems and sufferings are resolved and addressed. Thus the elections of the assembly should be conducted and held to give people their own government which can come to the expectations of the general people. Therefore the assembly elections should be held so that the people are in a position to cast vote and elect a government of their choice which is responsive to the demands and aspirations of the gullible people. The common people of Jammu and Kashmir feel neglected and alienated because of the absence of the elected and democratic government and they stand robbed of their fundamental right to cast vote and elect a peoples government which will address the genuine problems of the people. The elections are the essence of democracy and we cannot think of a democracy without the elections and therefore the need is to hold the assembly elections so that the people will chose a government of their choice which will be responsive to the demands and problems of the people. The states or the union territories cannot be run through central rule or through governors rule for a long time and so holding of the much overdue elections will help the people to come closer to the powers as in such a case the people will have their government in place which is more responsive to the needs and demands of the electorate. Thus there is pressing need for holding of the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir so that the alienated people will be in a position to cast vote and elect a democratic and peoples government which will wipe tears from the eyes of the public. No further delay should be made in announcing of the elections to Jammu and Kashmir assembly as it will further alienate the people of Jammu and Kashmir from the national mainstream. It is clear now that the government of India is mulling to conduct elections at the appropriate time perhaps at the end of the year because the election commissions and the UTs election department and the district election officers are busy in updating electoral rolls and the new constituencies have been set by the delimitation commission and in accordance with the decisions of the delimitation commission the election department is making electoral rolls so that the people will have no difficulty in knowing their election booths. The Governor’s rule or Presidential rule is only an adhoc arrangement and it is no alternative for a democratic or People’s Government and therefore the elections of the assembly should be held to give the people choice to elect their own government which will be more responsive to the needs, demands and aspirations of the people. So what is needed is that the assembly elections should be held very soon to give the alienated people the right to cast their vote and elect their own government which can solve the problems of the people at large. The prime ministers and home minister of the country has made it clear that the statehood will be restored at an appropriate time after the assembly elections and therefore there should be no doubt about the restoration of the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. Some regional political parties are making the restoration of the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir as a precondition for taking part in the assembly elections. But the political parties should not make the restoration of the statehood to erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir as a condition for taking part in the assembly elections. The assembly elections and the restoration of the statehood to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir are two separate things and these should not be mixed to create confusion. The fact is that the government of India will restore the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir after the assembly elections at an appropriate time and so such impractical demands of restoration of the statehood before the assembly elections should not be made and it should be left to the centre government to restore the statehood at the appropriate time. Thus the political parties of the UT should jump in the elections whenever these are held but as far as the activities of the election commission and the state election department is concerned it is foregone conclusion that the assembly elections will be held somewhere in the month of December, if the weather conditions permits. Therefore there are indications that the assembly elections will be held soon to mitigate the problems of the people and the election commission and the state election department is making electoral rolls and other arrangements for the conduct of the much over due assembly elections when same will be announced by the election commission. It is proper time that the election commission should take a call and announce the assembly elections to Jammu and Kashmir assembly at an earliest date so that the alienated people will be given the right to cast vote and elect the government of their choice which will be a peoples’ government through and through. To conclude one can say that the holding of assembly elections to elect the government of the people will be a panacea for all the problems and ills of the people.
(The author is a columnist and social activist).
