The Election Commission has a big responsibility on its shoulders to ensure that no entity rely on partisan policies during the ongoing Assembly Elections which are taking place in the UT after a long gap of ten years. These elections are being held in compliance with the orders of Apex court as otherwise the people sitting at helm in Centre would have further delayed this festival of democracy in this part of the country to continue with a government directly in their control giving two hoots to the basic principles of democracy which call for a government for the people, of the people and by the people.
The essence of a democracy lies in the fairness of elections, where every party and individual is afforded a level playing field. As J&K had seen many elections in the past which used to lack fairness as alleged by almost all the political parties in the country including those which had ruled the erstwhile state of J&K for many years together therefore it becomes imperative for the Election Commission to ensure that the wrongs committed by the stakeholders in the past should not be repeated in these polls as the region is always susceptible to such things which in the long run are harmful for the region and for that matter the entire country.
What is to be seen is that no political party or candidate should be given a long rope by the ECI to dare to violate the MCC guidelines in any manner. Hate speech, fake narratives, attempts to polarize the society, particularly in a region that has already seen decades of strife could prove dangerous and therefore the concerned poll body should keep a close watch and stop any such violation of MCC at the first instance as these actions by wrongful aspirants undermines the democratic spirit of debate and discourse narrowing the space for legitimate criticism, forcing the electorate to choose not on the basis of policies, but on emotionally charged and divisive lines. Such practices erode the integrity of the electoral process, undermining the very foundations of democracy.
All said and done, it is imperative that the Election Commission takes necessary actions to ensure that the elections are free from undue influence and that all parties have equal access to voters.
Jammu and Kashmir deserves an election based on genuine political dialogue, not one distorted by partisan policies and the manipulation by certain segments having control on things. Only through fair elections can the region hope to emerge from its troubled past and move towards a future of stability, peace, and inclusive development.
