Author: James Michael Lyngdoh
Publisher: Penguin
Year: 2004
Language: English
Pages: 254
ISBN/UPC (if available): 0670057665
Description
A book of this kind is, at the very least, a useful chronicle of the Jammu and Kashmir elections, 2002, says J M Lyngdoh in his preface. It is a modest prelude to his account of a landmark event.
The 2002 assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir were proposed to be held against near impossible odds-a volatile situation along the LoC with Pakistan, stepped up militant attacks within the state, and threats to candidates that disrupted normal election processes. To add to the logistics of security was the task of updating electoral rolls-all 351,850 pages of them-in Urdu. And at the hart of it all was the ordinary Kashmiri’s cynicism about any elections conducted in the state being free and fair, based on their experiences in the past. At stake, therefore, was the credibility of the Election Commission, and the democratic process itself.
Despite all the doubts, the outcome was an election which was acknowledged fair, even by a vigilant media that had been keeping a close watch on events. In his understated yet compelling style, J M Lyngdoh recounts how it was done, and explains the complex circumstances surrounding the history of elections in the state. In telling the riveting story Chronicle of an Impossible Election also gives a ringside view of the functioning of the Election Commission, one of the great democratic institutions of the country, and how it has evolved as a guardian of fair play in elections. It is a story that every voter should know.
Contents
PREFACE
MAP
PART ONE
Scepticism in the Light
Of History
Of Autonomy
Of Manipulative Politics
EC’s Constitutional Status
And Financial
Beginnings of Defiance
EC Survives First Packing
Model Code of Conduct
The Commission Asserts Itself
EC’s Second Packing Survives Litigation
EC Frustrates Its Packers and Also More Than Earns Its Keep
Internal Democracy in Political Parties
Disqualification of Candidates
Disclosures by Candidates
Time-sharing on Radio and TV
Upgradation of Technology
E C in Jammu and Kashmir
PART TWO
A Necessary Progression
PART THREE
Before March 2002 - Nothing Much
March to Mid-June 2002 - Handling Demands of Political Parties and Laying Down Policies
Mid-June to Mid-August 2002-Fulfilling Demands and More
Mid-August to 10 October 2002-Credibility and Confidence Building; Voting and Results
10 October to July 2003-Afterwards
Epilogue
Bibliography
Index