The mountains of Jammu and Kashmir are in the throes of a crucial Lok Sabha election. Spread over five phases, these are the first major elections after the revocation of Article 370 in August 2019; the first major election after a controversial delimitation process in May 2022; the first major election after it lost its status as a state. But as new alliances are forged and broken — the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the National Conference (NC), both until recently part of a larger opposition umbrella failed to reach consensus — politicians canvassing the area for votes have a new challenge to contend with: the inclement weather. On Tuesday, the Election Commission postponed polling in the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat, pushing it from May 7 to May 25, owing to the intemperate climate.
The upper reaches of Kashmir have seen rampant rain and snowfall since April 26, which has thrown electioneering and daily life out of gear. On Monday, 336 families were evacuated from the district, with Pohru Nallah in Seelu Kupwara, a tributary of the Jhelum breaching the danger level of 1578. 9 metres, causing water to enter villages and submerging portions of the Kupwara highway. Deputy Commissioner Kupwara, Ayushi Sudan said that shelter homes have been established, with some families moved to them, and others relocated to safer zones.
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“There was an intense western disturbance which had an impact and there was a moisture incursion from the Arabian Sea. There has been inclement weather for the past week. There was not only rain but snowfall as well in the higher reaches. This impacted transportation and landslides were reported at several places,” Mukhtar Ahmed, an official from the IMD Srinagar said.
But beyond the efforts by the administration to restore normalcy, the weather has meant that politicians have had to re-adjust their campaigns. While Udhampur and Jammu Lok Sabha constituencies have voted in the first two phases, three seats in Kashmir — Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag — go to the polls in the fourth and fifth phases of the elections respectively.
On Tuesday, former chief minister and NC vice president Omar Abdullah visited flood-affected regions in Kupwara and Baramulla. “I stopped the election campaign and visited the flood affected areas today to see the losses caused by floods. We will try to help the affected people. This area needs a proper flood management plan which will not happen overnight,” Abdullah, who was accompanied by other NC leaders said.
Abdullah is set to file his nomination for the Baramullah constituency on May 2, and among his opponents will be PDP candidate Fayaz Mir, and Peoples Conference chairman Sajjad Lone, both of whom also spent time in Kupwara on Monday. Mir demanded compensation to those affected and Lone said, “Even horticulture has suffered huge losses. We will write to authorities about adequate compensation.”
PDP spokesperson Tahir Sayeed said all of the party’s programmes were cancelled due to floods in Kupwara and Baramulla.
“Our party leaders and workers have been busy with relief and rescue work in Kupwara, Baramullah and other areas of Kashmir,” he said.
The rainfall over the past week has also forced political parties to cancel rallies and roadshows over the past week, and instead hold meetings inside homes.
Over the past three days, NC, PDP, Apni Party and PC have cancelled more than a dozen programmes in Kashmir.
“Our campaign in the last two days has remained confined to houses or limited to small meetings due to heavy rains,” said Congress general secretary Mir Iqbal, who is canvassing for Omar Abdullah in Baramullah.
The postponement comes after a string of representations from political parties.
On Sunday, several parties, including the Democratic Azad Progressive Party and Apni Party, also wrote to the Election Commission of India ECI), asking for polls in Anantnag to be postponed because of the closure of the Mughal Road, which serves as the only road link between Anantnag-Poonch and Rajouri. It prompted ECI to seek a report from the J&K administration and chief electoral officer (CEO) regarding weather and the accessibility of roads.
The commission said it received representation from various candidates and four parties — Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), PC, Apni Party and Nationalist People’s Front — requesting for rescheduling of the poll date owing to bad weather conditions.
The postponement, however, triggered criticism from NC, PDP and Congress.
“The rescheduling of Anantnag PC is a concern that should worry all who believe in the independence of our poll bodies. It’s troubling that the opinions of political parties not even in the race were taken into account. No matter what they do, Insha Allah @JKNC_will win the seat,” NC spokesperson Imran Dar said in a post on X.
PDP accused the BJP of being the reason behind the change in schedule.
“The sheer nervousness of Delhi after witnessing overwhelming support of people towards Ms.Mufti has forced them to change the election date & facilitate the proxy parties of BJP to do the murky business in the electoral process,” PDP spokesperson Mohit Bhan said on X.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Srinagar has, however, predicted that the weather will improve from Wednesday, which political parties hope will bring campaigning back on track.
“For the next five days, the weather will be dry and sunny in most parts of J&K,” IMD said in its daily bulletin.
And yet, even as key elections in the three seats approach, Akhtar Khan, a 26-year-old student at Kashmir University said that the weather, and the responses of political parties to the difficulties faced by people, is now a key electoral issue. “The weather is becoming an important aspect of the politics in Kashmir,” said Khan, who is based in Srinagar.
