Jammu Kashmir Elections 2024: For the first time since the abrogation of Article 70 five years ago, we are witnessing assembly elections, marked by significant political turmoil and verbal disputes among leaders.
After the formation of the Union Territory, all the political parties in Jammu and Kashmir are putting in all their efforts. In this election, Congress has forged an alliance with Farooq Abdullah’s National Conference Party.
On the other hand, the BJP is also working hard to win the elections. Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP has also intensified the election campaign. The Pandits, who left their homes 35 years ago and migrated, are once again a topic of discussion in the election atmosphere.
This time, following several previous elections, a significant number of Kashmiri Pandits are present. Many Pandits are also appealing for votes from the public by entering the electoral fray in the Kashmir Valley. In Srinagar’s downtown area, there is a seat called Habba Kadal. This assembly seat has the highest number of Kashmiri Pandit voters in the valley.
Habba Kadal has the highest number of Pandit candidates.
Due to hatred, some extremists forced the Pandits to migrate from Kashmir in the 1990s. In the midst of the constantly deteriorating situation in Kashmir, in the year 2019, the Modi government abolished Article 370 from the state and established the rule of the central government. After this, the situation came under control.
Now Kashmiri Pandits are once again knocking in the assembly elections. There are 14 Pandit candidates vying for seats in the Kashmir valley. The Habba Kadal seat has the highest number of candidates. There are six Pandit candidates running from this seat. The most important thing is that this seat has the highest number of 25,000 voters in Kashmir.
In this assembly, Pyarelal Handu has hoisted the victory flag twice. In 1987, he won for the first time and became an MLA. After this, Raman Mattu won as an independent candidate in 2002 and has also handled the ministry in the Mufti government. This time, the BJP has chosen Ashok Bhatt as its candidate. Barring the BJP, no major party has fielded a Kashmiri Pandit. Independent and smaller parties, however, have fielded Pandit candidates.
How did Kashmiri Pandits’ dominance diminish after migration?
In the 1990s, fed up with the atrocities of extremists and terrorist organizations, 3 lakh Pandits agreed to leave Kashmir. Today, they live in different parts of the country. After this, the presence of Pandits in Kashmir’s politics became negligible. In the 2002 assembly elections, there were a total of 9 Kashmiri Pandit candidates.
In 2008, 12 candidates tried their luck. In 2014, only 4 candidates managed to win. As a result, the number of Kashmiri Pandits kept decreasing. This time, 14 Kashmiri Pandits are in the electoral fray.
The first Pandit woman candidate is competing in Kashmir.
After the removal of 370 people from Kashmir, the situation changed, and the fear of extremists and fundamentalists also decreased to zero. In addition, we are witnessing numerous transformations in the political landscape. Daisy Ray is the first Pandit woman candidate to contest elections from Rajporo in Pulwama. She is in an electoral battle with Ramdas Athawale’s Republican Party, which is going door to door and appealing for votes from the people.
