The polls are unique in the sense that deprived sections, like West Pakistan Refugees, Valmikis and Gorkhas are voting for the first time

Voters decided the fate of 298 candidates, including 72 women, contesting the seventh phase of the District Development Council (DDC) elections in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) on Wednesday. A total of 31 DDC constituencies went to the polls, including 13 in Kashmir division and 18 in Jammu division. The response of the people across both regions to the elections is a curt message to the status quo lobby.

The vast majority standing in long queues outside the polling booths in bone-chilling cold while responding to news reporters does not mince words. It is clear that they are voting for development and employment. It is their sole agenda since they have been deprived of it for long. Connectivity, education, health and basic amenities still elude the people despite huge amounts of funds received from successive Central governments.

Where did all these funds vanish? Reports are surfacing of projects shown as completed in files but not actually existing on the ground. Voters are openly accusing their leaders of having cheated them time and again and becoming unreachable and inapproachable after the elections are over, leaving them to their plight which has not changed during the last 70 years. People have also realised that they were emotionally exploited with slogans like self-rule, greater autonomy and so on. Had these leaders been serious and committed to the welfare of the people, they could have easily provided them the basic facilities of road, water and electricity but instead they chose to mislead them with false slogans and dreams of greener pastures while lining their own pockets with the generous assistance received from successive Central governments.

Kashmir’s identity the world over was recognised as a multilingual, multi-faith, multi-cultural plural society famous for peaceful co-existence. But the political leaders are responsible for the murder of the famous Kashmiri identity. They promoted secessionism, separatism and radicalisation, leading to the onslaught on the Kashmiri Pandit community, the indigenous community of the Valley, forcing them to flee in the face of large-scale ethnic cleansing.

Corrupt leaders delayed the devolution of powers to the grassroots by  not holding elections to the Panachayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). They were loathe to allow the centre of power to shift to the towns and villages. However, now the process to undo the ills and woes of 70 years of misrule has been set in motion with all sincerity.  This includes elections to the second and third tiers of PRI by holding elections for Block Development Councils (BDCs) and District Development Councils (DDCs). ULBs’ elections were held, too.

The ongoing DDC elections are unique in the sense that certain deprived sections (West Pakistan Refugees, Valmikis and Gorkhas) are voting for the first time. (Earlier they could vote only for parliamentary elections). There are reserved seats for the women and Scheduled Tribes (STs) for the first time. A new crop of grassroots leadership is emerging which augers well for the future.

The Union Territory (UT) of J&K now has 100 per cent reservation for locals in all jobs, including gazetted and non-gazetted ones. No other State/UT in the country enjoys this unique privilege. The amended land laws were also used by the status quoists to create fear among the people claiming that their lands would be snatched and forcibly purchased by outsiders. People are being confused by quoting the protection enjoyed by a few States under Article 371.  Often people are misled by drawing comparison with neighbouring Himachal Pradesh stating that the State has a special provision protecting their land rights.

The fact is to the contrary. Section 118 in Himachal is restrictive and does not put an absolute ban on the sale and purchase of land and property in Himachal. It has provisions through which, with the approval of the Government, anyone can buy land and property in the State. However, the new land law of J&K totally bans the sale of agricultural land to other than the existing agriculturists.

However, at long last, the common man has understood how unscruplous leaders misled them and deprive them of basic amenities while filling their own coffers. They are happy with the much-awaited change they were yearning for and are hopeful that the representatives they choose for the DDC will meet their much-wanted basic needs.

(The author is a Jammu-based veteran political commentator, columnist, security and strategic analyst. The views expressed are personal.)