The draft report of the Delimitation Commission has invoked mixed response from various sections of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Political parties as usual seem to be aghast with the re organization of the Assembly segments across Jammu and Kashmir. Earlier this week during my visit to Delhi a senior officer in the establishment and a dear friend wanted to know the feedback from the ground about the report. On a lighter note I responded that it was actually the dislocation commission. The political players, from former legislators to top brass of political parties, have lost their respective strongholds in the proposed reorganized constituencies. Their anger and frustration is justified. The commoners, meanwhile, seem to be enjoying the dislocation of the political proprietors. This privileged class of political elites had inculcated a sense of proprietorship over the people of their respective constituencies. They regarded themselves as indispensable and remained unchallenged for decades. It was with this self-constructed sense of indispensability that the culture of political heirs took root in J&K. The sons and daughters of the political elites would be installed on the people as a matter of right. The people had a limited and at times no choice at all than to vote for the political dynasts.
Though people are mostly silent on the issue, the fact is that they are celebrating the dislocation of the political class the same way they celebrated the detention of former chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti, Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. The reason we are hearing protests on the delimitation issue is because it is always the privileged class which is vocal and grabs headlines. How common people view the developments is often ignored by the media.
