Ehsan Fazili/Srinagar

Unlike the past when the Legislative Assembly or the Lok Sabha elections were being held under the shadow of boycott calls issued by the separatists and threats from terrorists, joyous scenes of traditional Kashmiri Rouf dance and slogans like “Sher Ayaa” and “Inquilab ayega” mark the campaigning for the coming election in South Kashmir.

The campaigning ends on Monday while polling in 16 Assembly constituencies in four districts of Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam, and Shopian of South Kashmir, is being held in the first phase on September 18.

The mesmerizing scenes of Kashmiri Rouf, folk dance by women on extempore poetry to match the mood of the functions like weddings, marked the campaign rallies of the candidates.

One such Rouf, devised probably during the Lok Sabha elections in North Kashmir has taken the centre-stage of campaign rallies. In the Bijbehara constituency where PDP’s Iltija Mufti, daughter of the former Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, is campaigning in her maiden show, women supporters greet her with Rouf.

They dance to the tune “Laalae Laalae, Iltija Laalae, Bankhaey Wazir-e-Aala”. (O (lovely Iltija, you be the Chief Minister). 

These lines are improvised from “Laala Laala (name), tche chhiyo Bandepori Jalse, Tatte ha chhi myon public, bankho wazir-e-Aala” (O Lovely…name) you have a rally (jalsa) at Bandipore, there is my public, you be the Chief Minister) that surfaced during Lok Sabha elections in North Kashmir.

The women at the forefront of Iltija’s rallies are followed by the youth and the elderly. Iltija Mufti, making her debut electoral battle, has a direct contest with NC’s Bashir Ahmad Veeri, a former legislator, and the BJP’s Sofi Mohammad Yousuf.

Youth and women in larger numbers throng the rallies of the youth PDP leader, Waheed Ur Rehman Parra from his home constituency of Pulwama, who unsuccessfully contested the last Lok Sabha elections from Srinagar.

There was 38 percent of voting, the highest in over three decades, in the Lok Sabha constituency in which NC’s Agha Rohulla Mehdi secured 356886 votes defeating Parra by a margin of 188416 votes, securing 168450 votes.

The popular youth leader of the PDP has been engaging youth in his campaign rallies. He is out on bail in a case of terror funding filed by the National Investigating Agency.

Parra is greeted by the women supporters singing rhythmical Roffs like that in case of others: “…….Bankho Wazir-e-Aala…..”.  and in support of “peace” and “welfare” of people. The slogans in his rallies go like “talk of peace and do good for people”.

Other slogans roaring like “Sher aaya Sher aaya”, “Inquilab ayega” and “Jis Kashmir ko khoon sey seencha hai, voh Kashmir hamara hai”. Addressing the well-attended rallies with waving of the party’s green flags, Parra goes on adding: “Pulwama is not just a place, it is a symbol of strength”. He highlights the issues of imprisoned youth in different jails in and outside J&K. “This is traumatic for not only the person but his family, friends, relatives… everyone”, Parra comments.

The PDP youth leader has also released a Pulwama-centric manifesto to address the issues of his constituency – “Restoring Pulwama’s Glory: A Vision for Prosperity and Development”. 

He described it as a “comprehensive plan to address the district’s most pressing needs” including different sectors like education, healthcare, industrial growth, and environmental protection”.  It also covers the issues of youth development and checks on drug addiction among the youth.   

Pulwama has been a bastion of the National Conference in all the elections up to 1996. Later it was represented by PDP’s Mohamad Khalil Band for three consecutive terms.

Waheed-Ur-Rehman Parra (PDP) is pitted in a direct contest against Mohammad Khalil Band, having switched over to the National Conference this time. There are 10 other contestants including independents in the fray.

As campaigning for the first phase of Assembly elections in the UT is reaching its pinnacle in Kashmir valley, it has many firsts, for these are being held after a decade and restoring a democratic structure after a gap of six years.

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The last Assembly elections were held in 2014, while the last elected PDP- BJP coalition Government headed by the Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti ended on June 19, 2018. Earlier the longest gap of nine years between two elections was witnessed when the elections were held in 1996, following the eruption of armed militancy in Kashmir, while the previous elections were held in 1987. Farooq Abdullah resigned as Chief Minister in January 1990.