Divides And Dividends

Contrasting narratives on the scrapping of Article 370 define the elections in Jammu and Kashmir

- TARIQ BHAT

Regional parties of Jammu and Kashmir which are a part of the INDIA bloc consider the Lok Sabha elections a referendum on the revocation of Article 370 and the subsequent division of the state into two Union territories. The main adversary for the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is the BJP, but they are also fighting against each other. They are also engaged in a bitter battle with the Apni Party founded by former PDP leader Altaf Bukhari, and Sajad Lone's People’s Conference. They call Bukhari and Lone BJP proxies.

The BJP's campaign is centred on the abrogation of Article 370, the restoration of peace and the suppression of separatism. The party also targets 'dynastic' politics in Jammu and Kashmir. The contrasting narratives regarding the scrapping of Article 370 have come to define the campaigns of the key players.

Mehbooba Mufti, former chief minister and president of the PDP, has placed the ‘rights and identity’ of the people of Kashmir at the forefront of her campaign. At a roadshow in Rajouri, she accused the BJP of hurting the locals by allocating natural resources to outsiders. “Neither the Dogras of Jammu nor the Buddhists of Ladakh are content, let alone the people of Kashmir, who live in fear,” she said. “There has been no development during the BJP rule.”