Bride without bridegroom

Holding Municipal and Panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir amid boycott by two largest mainstream political parties National Conference and PDP in a fearful political and security atmosphere is just like a bride who is without a bridegroom. The government knows it well that the people are not willing to vote, the two largest mainstream political parties National Conference and PDP have decided to stay away and Congress party showing reservations by saying the atmosphere is not conducive but yet again the new Governor Satya Pal Malik who is yet to understand political psyche and tendencies of the people of Kashmir has chosen to go ahead with the elections. In fact the only reservation mainstream political parties show in joining the poll fray for constitution of Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies is the unwillingness of both the state and the central governments to clear their stand on Article 35-A in the Supreme Court of India and interestingly the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) propagating politics of separatism too has no different stand on Article35-A as separatists too believe that Article 35-A is a political hereditary right of the people enforced way back in 1927. What merits a mention is the reference of Article 35-A in the book authored by first chief justice of India from Jammu and Kashmir late justice Adarsh Sein Anand. So justifiably the mainstream parties have objected to linking of Article 35-A with the conduct of Panchayat and Municipal elections in the state. Since both National Conference and PDP and other mainstream political parties too had times and again demanded an all party meeting but Governor Satya Pal Malik has chosen to take a decision in isolation which by all standards of political understandabilities is against the basics of participatory democracy.