![Article 370 in mind, people in J&K determined to vote for ‘local issues’ [Ground report] – Indian Defence Research Wing](https://defencenewsofindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Article-370-in-mind-people-in-JK-determined-to-vote.jpg)
SOURCE: TIMES NOW
The District Development Council (DDC) polls in Jammu and Kashmir are the first elections being held in the Valley after the state was bifurcated into a Union Territory, the other being Leh-Ladakh.
A lot has happened in the past one year since the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A – top regional leaders being put on house arrest, stricter central laws being enforced in the region, a new political alliance called the Gupkar Declaration, to name a few.
Now, the people have turned out in decent numbers to cast their ballots in a fight for relevance for the regional heavyweights against the might of the Bharatiya Janata Party that rules the Centre.
However, voters in J&K’s Ganderbal district on Saturday said that the eight-phase DDC polls are fought on local issues and they are out to elect people who can resolve basic problems that concern them on a daily basis, adding that “bigger issues”, such as the restoration of special status, should be left for parliamentary elections.
“Political issues are for bigger platforms like the assembly or the Parliament. What roles do the DDCs or for that matter panches and sarpanches have in framing laws? This is a small platform to address the developmental issues of the people at the local level,” 67-year-old Shareef-ud-Din said after casting his ballot in the district’s Thune area, news agency PTI reported.
Meanwhile, Zahida Begum said she is voting to support a local candidate who could address day-to-day matters.
“We have many issues that need attention. I do not know anything about Article 370, but I want the issues of our locality to be resolved,” she claimed.
August 5 last year was a defining moment for the Valley and the abrogation of Article 370 stripped the state of Jammu and Kashmir of its special status. This has not only miffed terror haven Pakistan, but also local parties such as Mehbooba Mufti’s Peoples Democratic Party and Farooq Abdullah’s Jammu & Kashmir National Conference. A month back, they launched the Gupkar alliance after the leaders were released from detention.
“Yes, our identity has been snatched from us (after abrogation of special status), but this election is not for that,” another voter Juma Koswal said.
Some first-time voters, however, observed that this election was a “small fight” for the restoration of J&K’s special status.
“This election is also important as through this we can keep those parties and people away who took away our special status…this would send a message how the people feel about last year’s decision,” Yaseen Ahmad said.
The DDC elections are being fought in a triangular contest between the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), the BJP and the Apni Party floated by former finance minister Altaf Bukhari.
