JAMMU: In a significant setback to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India, the opposition alliance of National Congress and Congress emerged victorious in the Kargil Hill Council elections. The alliance secured an emphatic win by clinching 22 seats, while Independents secured two seats, and the BJP managed to secure only two seats in the election results. This was the first-ever poll held in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) after Article 370 was scrapped in 2019 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Indian government.
The detailed breakdown of the results showed that the National Conference bagged 12 seats, Congress secured 10, and Independents won two, while the BJP managed to secure just two seats in the fiercely contested polls.
The Kargil Hill Council elections, held in Ladakh, marked the first-ever polls in the region after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. The elections were widely perceived as a referendum on the contentious abrogation of Article 370 and the Indian government’s claims of normalcy in the region.
The resounding victory of the opposition alliance has been regarded as a major setback for the BJP, which has been actively pursuing a Hindutva agenda in an attempt to establish a BJP-led government in the newly-formed Union Territory since the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A.
Kashmiris Reject BJP Govt’s Actions in IIOJK
Various political leaders in occupied Kashmir have interpreted the election results as a manifestation of the people’s discontent with the Modi government’s actions on August 5, 2019. Former Chief Minister of occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti, asserted that the people of the region had rejected the Hindutva ideology through their votes.
Owing to the function and role of Hill Council, BJP’s defeat clearly indicates that the people of IIOJK will never fall prey to the Indian government’s false claims of normalcy and unprecedented development. It is high time for the Indian government to cease hiding behind the unilateral illegal actions and acknowledge the people’s rightful desire for settlement of the Kashmir issue as per the UN resolutions.
The defeat faced by the BJP in the Hill Council elections has sent a clear message, indicating that the people of the newly-formed Union Territory are not swayed by the Government of India’s claims of normalcy and unprecedented development. Critics have pointed out that the people’s voting patterns underscore their yearning for a just resolution of the Kashmir issue as per the United Nations resolutions, urging the Indian government to acknowledge these aspirations instead of continuing unilateral actions.
The election results have resonated as a powerful message to the BJP government, highlighting the deep-seated anger among the masses in the newly-formed Union Territory. It underscores the fact that oppression cannot suppress the people’s steadfast struggle for freedom and their unwavering commitment to their cause.
