Is communal polarisation on rise in J&K?

Vikas Singh

The people of Jammu and Kashmir have voted for a hung assembly, and another coalition government is on the threshold to rule the state. The single largest party National Conference (28 seats) is all likely to stake its claim for power with Congress (17 seats). But the worrying question is over the nature of the political outcome that explicates the notion of communal polarisation. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) jumped from just one seat to 11 in this poll with its political plank of Amarnath land row, amassing much of Hindu votes of Jammu. The People's Democratic Party (PDP) likewise managed to come up with 21 seats including as many as 19 seats from Kashmir alone; here too its stand on Amarnath issue paid off. So, can BJP's large gain in Jammu and PDP's hold in Kashmir be seen as a rise of communalism and secessionism?

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