In Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, issues differed, but flowed from same point: Article 370 abrogation

As Jammu and Kashmir plus Ladakh wrap up voting for the Lok Sabha elections on Saturday – the first significant polls in the state since the abrogation of Article 370 – the three regions saw distinct polls issues. But one was common – insecurity over jobs and land, in the wake of the scrapping of the special status of the erstwhile state.

In the Valley, voters spoke about the loss of J&K’s “identity” and expressed concern over “changed demographics”. For Jammu, where there is more support for the Centre’s unilateral decision on Article 370, issues such as the jobs promised following the move not frutifying, apart from the inaccessibility of the incumbent BJP MPs, were the main issues. For Ladakh too, the main poll subject flowed from the changes following the removal of Article 370, with voters seeking the autonomy offered by the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

In Jammu, the Congress – the main opponent of the BJP in the province’s two Lok Sabha seats of Jammu and Udhampur-Doda – questioned the Centre over job and land security for local residents, now that the protections offered by Article 370 no longer exist. Union Minister of State, PMO, Jitendra Singh, who courtesy his portfolio is a prominent presence at the Centre, is one of the contenders here, facing a tough fight in Udhampur-Doda against BJP-turned-Congress leader Choudhary Lal Singh.

In Kashmir, the BJP surprisingly kept out after Prime Minister Narendra Modi dropped in for his first public meeting post-Article 370 abrogation, suggesting an early campaign launch for the party. Sources said the BJP did not want to take the risk of a likely loss in all of the Valley’s three seats – Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag-Rajouri – and the impact it could have on its