NEW DELHI — The District Development Commission (DDC) polls in Jammu and Kashmir show the strength of democracy in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted recently, adding that it was the start of a new chapter in the region following transparent election process and enthusiastic participation of voters.

Modi while inaugurating the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) SEHAT scheme for the residents of Jammu and Kashmir on Dec. 26 (last Saturday), also said it is a "moment of pride" for India.

Modi, who was dressed in a Kashmiri Pheran gifted by a J&K farm laborer, said that the elections of Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, were peacefully conducted in the valley and this shows the trust of people in the government.

“We were part of the government in J&K, but we left it because we demanded Panchayat elections, adding that the villagers in J&K should get their due and they should be able to decide about their villages,” Modi said.

The general analysis, following the first democratic exercise post the abrogation of Article 370 of holding the DDC polls, was that the elections not only saw good participation of people in the Valley but also that the results were welcomed by the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) constituents, independents and other parties alike.

The other main takeaway was that all the parties and independents want grassroots democracy that will bring them the benefits of development. The good show by independents reflects the emergence of new and young leadership at the grassroots level. Also the wins by independent candidates have placed them as kingmakers in certain districts.

While PAGD, an amalgam of several Kashmiri parties, raised the pitch for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's special status in the polls, several other candidates from smaller parties and independents won the (DDC) polls in Jammu and Kashmir on the promise that they were the right candidates to resolve the developmental issues.

The elections came over a year after New Delhi revoked the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir on Aug. 5, 2019. In the election results that were announced on Dec. 22, PAGD won 110 seats while the BJP emerged as the single largest party taking home 75 seats. The Congress and Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) won 26 and 12 seats respectively. A large chunk of the seats, 50 in total, however, went to independent candidates.

The elections to 280 seats spread across 20 districts with each having 14 seats were held in eight phases over a span of 25 days. Speaking to media after the DDC polls, which witnessed a healthy percentage of 51.51 percent in voting, the State Election Commissioner (SEC), K. K. Sharma stated that “the people had once again reaffirmed their faith in the democratic system by actively participating in the process underway to strengthen the same.”

Though victories and dominance of many established parties in the Valley and Jammu were expected, what was not predictable was the emergence of BJP as the single largest party and victories of independents. And stories of grit and aspiration for development laced the independents’ wins.

Last month, 24-year-old Rozia Banoo took a plunge into electoral politics with one pledge: she will mend broken roads, provide regular electricity and water to the Central Kashmir area of Sukhnag in Budgam. After winning from the Sukhnag constituency, Banoo a candidate of the People's Democratic Front (PDF) said, she will deliver on her promises.

Like Banoo, other winners of the local body polls, see the results as an opportunity to work towards the development of their constituencies. Nazir Ahmad Khan, an independent candidate, who won on the promise of development in the central Kashmir area of Beerwah remained one of the ardent opponents of former chief minister Omar Abdullah for failing to address the issues in his constituency.

“The DDCs are the best democratic forum and as part of third-tier democracy they have been already functional in the rest of the country,” said Safina Beigh who won as an independent candidate. Beigh, the wife of former deputy chief minister Muzafar Hussain Beigh, was livid about the condition in the northern Kashmir area of Wagoora where she won her first election.

"What is important is that the constituencies need to be financially empowered. There should be no issues of funds," she added. Beigh said that people have been reaching out to her asking her to contest polls due to the neglect they faced for several years. "The elections are the answer from my voters that they are for strengthening democracy and Kashmiris can't be only be seen as stone-pelters," she said.

Khurshid Ahmad Shiekh, 50, who won the elections as a PDF (the party won only two seats in the DDC polls) candidate from Ratsun in Budgam said that several areas in the constituency are facing an acute shortage of water.

"People have to travel a long distance to fetch home water from ponds. In the dry season, agricultural activities get drastically hampered due to the water shortage. There are also no playgrounds and I promised the people that I will help address these issues on priority. We face heavy power cuts and that is another area that I want to work on."

Hailing from Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, Munaf Malik, a reformed terrorist contested the polls and won providing a shot in the arm for the rehabilitation program in Jammu and Kashmir for surrendered terrorists. A divisional commander of a terrorist outfit for over seven years, Malik contested from Darhal Malkan constituency.

“I am feeling really proud that I am contesting elections. I like talking to people and helping them. I experienced a life full of hardships. I appeal to terrorists to give up arms and join the mainstream. I would like to request them to come back. Nothing is going to happen. These are all means of political propaganda,” he said.

Talking about his journey how it changed after he surrendered, Malik said, “I worked for them (people of Darhal Malkan) and I will keep serving them. Wherever I am going, I am getting a lot of respect.”

Lauding Malik’s change of fate, Zonal Sports Officer (retired) Imtiaz Ahmed Malik, said, “It a great thing that he has participated in the elections. The government of India has a policy for people who surrender. This is a symbol of our beautiful democracy.”

Talking about the DDC elections, Imtiaz said, “The DDC election was conducted in a fine manner. This is part of our democracy, which is the second-largest after the United States. Elections are the best option for the welfare of the people. They must participate and become part of the government and vote for their favorite candidate.”

The DDC elections also showed democracy at its best when it allowed a female candidate born in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) to contest the polls. Somia Sadaf was among several female candidates in the fray. Sadaf contested from Drugmulla constituency in Kupwara district of North Kashmir. She had married a Kashmiri, Abdul Majeed Bhat, a resident of Batargam village of Kupwara when he crossed the border for arms training.

Later both husband and wife came back to Kashmir under the rehabilitation policy announced by the then National Conference (NC) government headed by Omar Abdullah in 2010. Speaking to ANI, Sadaf said that initially she was not interested in the DDC polls but people in her area asked her to contest the polls. A few years ago, Sadaf joined Umeed, a central government initiative to alleviate poverty among women in Jammu and Kashmir. Later, the administration encouraged her to motivate other women in Kupwara to launch self-help groups.

When asked about her plans on winning the elections, Sadaf, who has completed her Masters from Maulana Azad National Urdu University, asserted that she was willing to work for all and encourage youths to start their own business ventures as it was not possible for the government to provide government jobs to everyone. "If I win the election, then my priority would be to do the development in the area," she said.

The DDC polls also allowed for the first time refugees from West Pakistan to cast their votes. “Our wish to vote once in our lifetime was fulfilled,” said 87-year-old Lal Chand and his 82-year-old wife Trivita with tears in their eyes as they held up their inked fingers after casting their votes at a polling station in Jammu division. — Agencies