– Centre’s decision to disempower elected Assembly
– Lieutenant Governor’s complete authority over law and order
– Appointments and key decisions
*Political Parties’ Stance*
– PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti: won’t contest elections
– National Conference’s Omar Abdullah: won’t contest elections or become CM
– BJP: aggressively campaigning across Jammu division
– Apni Party and DPAP: struggling to gain traction
*Security Establishment’s Concerns*
– No new crop of young leaders has emerged
– Terror incidents have dropped due to hard clampdown
– Jamaat-e-Islami’s possible entry into electoral fray
*Centre’s Strategy*
– Propping up alternative political parties and leaders
– Experimenting with new ideas, such as Jamaat’s entry
*Separatists’ Stand*
– Elections don’t mean much as long as Centre controls everything
– Focus is on resolution, not governance
*BJP’s Campaign*
– Aggressive campaigning across Jammu division
– Expecting to get 35-38 assembly seats in Jammu and double figures in Kashmir Valley
– Chalking out massive public outreach program and election manifesto
1 Comment
*Jammu & Kashmir Assembly Elections*
– Supreme Court directs government to conduct elections by September
– Election Commission begins 3-day visit to review preparations
*Stakeholders’ Reactions*
– Mainstream politicians: skeptical
– Administration: optimistic
– Police and armed forces: apprehensive
– Hurriyat: indifferent
*Reasons for Skepticism*
– Centre’s decision to disempower elected Assembly
– Lieutenant Governor’s complete authority over law and order
– Appointments and key decisions
*Political Parties’ Stance*
– PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti: won’t contest elections
– National Conference’s Omar Abdullah: won’t contest elections or become CM
– BJP: aggressively campaigning across Jammu division
– Apni Party and DPAP: struggling to gain traction
*Security Establishment’s Concerns*
– No new crop of young leaders has emerged
– Terror incidents have dropped due to hard clampdown
– Jamaat-e-Islami’s possible entry into electoral fray
*Centre’s Strategy*
– Propping up alternative political parties and leaders
– Experimenting with new ideas, such as Jamaat’s entry
*Separatists’ Stand*
– Elections don’t mean much as long as Centre controls everything
– Focus is on resolution, not governance
*BJP’s Campaign*
– Aggressive campaigning across Jammu division
– Expecting to get 35-38 assembly seats in Jammu and double figures in Kashmir Valley
– Chalking out massive public outreach program and election manifesto
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