Tension in Jammu and Kashmir: The Impact of Nominated MLAs on Assembly Elections
Jammu and Kashmir's Assembly elections face uncertainty as opposition fears LG-nominated MLAs may sway results in favor of the BJP.
Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections: Opposition Fears LG-Nominated MLAs Could Influence Results Amid Predictions of a Hung Assembly
The stakes have never been higher as Jammu and Kashmir prepares for its first Assembly elections in over a decade. This throws open concerns over the role of five nominated members – a provision enabled by the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 – who are nominated by the Lieutenant Governor for various segments of society, including two women, two Kashmiri Pandits and one displaced individual from Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. But that decision has sparked fears in opposition parties, which believe that this could turn out to be some form of “BJP plus” nominations.
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Critics such as National Conference and Congress leaders argue that the power to nominate members should lie with an elected government. They regard it as a form of ‘pre-election rigging’, afraid that the nominees would cast their vote in unison with the BJP and thus sway the outcome of the election to the side of the ruling party. The BJP, on the other hand, is confident that the nominations are well within the legal framework established under the J-K Reorganisation Act.
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To that end, the legislative landscape has dramatically changed, with the strength of the Assembly doubling and now totaling 95 seats, reflecting a highly significant shift in representation. Not only are most of the more than 40% of candidates running as independents–indeed many considered to be BJP allies–but their leaders argue this is simply a vote-dividing ploy. Only then would the real implications of these developments be in the balance, holding in the balance the political future of Jammu and Kashmir-the country or countrymen of a million ballot boxes-minus the promised play-by-the-book ending.
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