Barring some incidents of violence the five-phase Assembly elections which is nearing to end would sure shot be one of the toughest rounds especially for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Except for the fourth round first two rounds saw high voter turnout keeping overall percentage quiet high compared to earlier elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Any vote to strengthen the democracy will be bringing the State nearer to the national milieu. Today the elections have come a long way from the narrow issues of caste, creed and regionalism now people want results and this was evident in the Lok Sabha elections and the same can be expected in the Assembly polls too. The emergence of new political setups is the part of this change which was recently evident in Haryana and Maharashtra. What is to be seen is whether high voter turnout being witnessed in Jammu and Kashmir would bring the change people are looking forward too? The Assembly elections 2014 looked like show of more glamour and glitch if the way yesteryear stars from Bollywood were spread over the length and breadth of the State for giving a boost to the poll crescendo. The Bollywood blitzkrieg launched by BJP may look like crowd puller for anybody on the surface it may belie the truth underneath. And if it is opposite of it then the saffron party is going to sweep the State to fulfill its Mission44 plus dream. But reality may differ with most of the parties blaming each other for the malady and the poor people left to remain silent watchers with the drama going on. Till date for BJP abrogation of Article 370 has been one of the core issues, has soft-pedaled the issue as the campaigning picked up. But BJP and Sangh Parivar have always maintained that there can be “completely integration” of Jammu and Kashmir with the country only when Article 370 of the Constitution of the State is scrapped. With all this show business and shifting stand will BJP be able to reach its magical figure to bring in the elusive change is to be seen.
