A Little Shot of Democracy

Listen to Today's Edition:

The Indian government recently announced that local elections in the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir will be held from Sept. 18 to Oct. 1. This is a major shift in policy since Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist, ended the Muslim-majority region’s autonomy and put it under federal control by unelected officials.

As the BBC explained, the region in the Himalayas was divided between India and Pakistan after both countries won independence from the United Kingdom in 1947. Since then, the two countries have fought two wars and had numerous border conflicts over Kashmir.

Modi seized control of Kashmir in part because he claimed that Pakistan was supporting Islamist militants there. In the process, he turned off communication systems, sent tens of thousands of troops into the region to maintain peace, and jailed thousands of people, including separatists, human rights activists and journalists, according to the New York Times.

Today, the Indian military still conducts counter-insurgency campaigns to root out militants, the Associated Press reported. Pakistan denies claims that it is supporting rebels. Many Kashmiris, meanwhile, say they have a legitimate claim for independence.

Domestic politics also played a role in the region’s destiny, too, of course.

In 2014, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) joined a Muslim-run party to run Kashmir. When that coalition broke apart in 2018, Modi took control, suspended democracy, and split the formerly united region into two entities – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

Now, perhaps unsurprisingly, the BJP is running only a handful of candidates in the elections, the Indian Express wrote, because Modi and party leaders know they won’t win. Instead, they hope pro-Indian candidates and independents will do well. At least one commentator at India Today believed the BJP was still trying to angle to play an important role in forming a coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir’s local legislature.

India’s main opposition, the Congress party, has joined forces with the largest Kashmiri party, the National Conference. BJP leaders have criticized Congress party bosses for meeting with Kashmiris who allegedly promote Pakistan’s claim to the territory, Devdiscourse noted. Congress party leaders are promising to make the region a state again, too, in a bid to win favor with voters and distance themselves from Modi’s policies, the Hindu added.

The politicking might be irrelevant. The legislatures in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh will have little power, noted the Diplomat. They will exercise only “nominal” control over education and culture. All other business will be decided in the Indian capital of New Delhi.

It’s a step forward for democracy, says the magazine, but only a small single one.