(Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s top political opponent in India’s volatile Jammu and Kashmir region says restoring power in the hands of the people is a priority if his party wins local elections that begin this week.
Omar Abdullah, who is seen as the likely next chief minister of the region if his coalition wins the most number of seats in the local assembly elections, said statehood is necessary for peace and stability.
“The first thing any elected government should do is to immediately demand the restoration of statehood,” Abdullah, 54, said in an interview at his residence in Srinagar. He leads an alliance between his party — the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference — and the Indian National Congress, the country’s main opposition group.
In August 2019, Modi stripped Jammu and Kashmir, the only Muslim-majority state in the country, of autonomy by downgrading its status to a union territory, bringing it under federal control. Part of the region was also split off into a separate union territory known as Ladakh. At the same time, Modi’s party amended the constitution to remove Article 370 that gave the people in Jammu and Kashmir special privileges and the ability to make their own laws, except on defense, foreign affairs, communication and finance.
Local elections in Jammu and Kashmir — which will take place in three phases from Sept. 18 to Oct. 1 — will be the first since the state lost its autonomy five years ago. Residents will elect 90 candidates for the assembly, with the party or coalition winning the most number of seats selecting a chief minister.
Unlike a state, a union territory with a legislature has reduced powers. The chief minister will have no control over important functions like policing, health and financing, which will fall under the authority of the central government — represented in the region by the lieutenant governor.
Abdullah and his allies want to ensure state powers are returned to Jammu and Kashmir so local lawmakers have more say over governance. Restoring statehood was the first step toward that goal, the political leader said in the interview.
“After that we will look to start implementing the promises made to improve the quality of governance and delivery of services to the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said. Abdullah is contesting the elections from two constituencies.
Rahul Gandhi, a senior leader in the Congress party and ally of Abdullah, pledged at an election rally on Sept. 4 in south Kashmir that statehood would be restored to the region whether Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party “wants it or not.”
The process to restore Jammu and Kashmir as a state won’t be straightforward though, according to legal experts.
“Restoration of statehood would be somewhat lengthy, starting with the lieutenant governor making a recommendation to the federal government, who then will move parliament to amend the 2019 Act,” said Abani Sahu, a senior counsel in India’s Supreme Court and a constitutional lawyer.
The BJP is contesting 62 of the 90 seats up for grabs, with the majority of those in the Hindu-dominant Jammu constituencies. Abdullah’s main contest will be against the People’s Democratic Party, led by Mehbooba Mufti, also a former chief minister in the state.
Separatist Sentiment
Avinash Mohananey, who previously worked on the Kashmir desk in the central government’s Home Ministry, said there were a number of independent candidates — some of them aligned to separatists movements — who could determine the election outcome.
“Omar Abdullah’s alliance has an edge despite being vilified by the BJP, but a lot depends on how independents candidates,of which there is a substantial number, fare and which they go after the elections,” he said.
Jammu and Kashmir has faced decades of separatist violence, with frequent clashes between militants and India’s military. Kashmir is claimed in full by both Pakistan and India, but divided and controlled by both countries.
Fearing protests after stripping the state of its autonomy in 2019, Modi’s government cut internet access, imprisoned leaders including Abdullah for months and curtailed political activity.
Election results will be released on Oct. 8, along with the vote count in the northern Indian state of Haryana, home to companies like Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp.
The regional elections come just months after Modi’s party returned to power in June with a reduced majority in the parliament. While a victory for Abdullah’s coalition in the Jammu and Kashmir elections won’t threaten Modi’s federal government, it would be another symbolic blow for the prime minister’s strongman image.
“I don’t think there is anybody who’s willing to compromise on statehood,” Abdullah said. “Making us union territory was simply to humiliate us.”
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