Jasleen Kour
Jammu, August 11
Amidst ongoing demands for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti announced on Sunday that she will not participate in the upcoming Assembly elections. She expressed her dissatisfaction with the current situation, stating that the once-powerful state has been reduced to the status of a municipality.
“I will never consider contesting the Assembly elections,” Mehbooba said during an interview with Gulistan TV. She reflected on the past, noting, “I contested elections when Jammu and Kashmir had its own constitution, its own flag, and the most powerful legislative assembly in the country. In the present scenario, Jammu and Kashmir has been reduced to merely a municipality where the Chief Minister would need to seek permission for every minor decision from the Lieutenant Governor.”
This decision comes after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) recently amended the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, granting more authority to the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory. The amendment means any future elected government in the Union Territory will have limited powers, especially concerning critical matters such as internal security, transfers, and legal appointments, including that of the Attorney-General.
A notification issued by the MHA stated, “No proposal requiring the prior concurrence of the Finance Department concerning police, public order, AIS, and ACB to exercise the discretion of the Lt Governor under the Act shall be approved or rejected unless it has been presented to the Lt Governor through the Chief Secretary.”
Major political parties, including the National Conference (NC) and PDP, have criticized the Centre’s actions, describing them as an attempt to reduce an elected government to the level of a municipal council.
On November 6, 2022, Mehbooba Mufti had already declared that participating in the next Assembly elections was not her priority. Previously, in December 2021, she announced that she would not contest elections until Article 370 is restored in Jammu and Kashmir, emphasizing that statehood was not their demand.
Omar Abdullah’s Stance on Assembly Elections
On June 10, National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah similarly announced that he would not contest the Assembly elections under the current status. He stated that it would be humiliating for him to participate in the Assembly of the Union Territory.
Following a significant defeat in the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat to Independent candidate Engineer Rashid, Omar Abdullah confirmed his decision to abstain from the upcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. He made it clear, “I won’t contest the Assembly elections. While I will actively support my party and lead the campaign, I won’t seek a seat in the Union Territory’s Assembly.”
Omar Abdullah also emphasized his commitment to advocating for the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. He stated, “Only after achieving full statehood, if feasible, will I consider entering the Assembly to contribute,” adding, “I won’t subject myself to the humiliation of joining the Assembly of the Union Territory.”
Earlier, on November 3, 2022, National Conference President Dr. Farooq Abdullah had announced that Omar Abdullah would not contest Assembly elections until Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood is restored. Farooq reiterated that Omar had made it clear he would not participate in elections until the statehood is reinstated.
In 2020, following his release from prolonged detention, Omar Abdullah declared that he would not contest Assembly elections as long as Jammu and Kashmir remained a Union Territory. He argued that he had been a leader of a state with one of the most empowered assemblies in the country and could not be part of what he now views as one of the most disempowered assemblies.
EOM
