We have a long history of misreading, misunderstanding and misinterpreting election results in Kashmir. That blunder should not be repeated again with DDC results which are nothing but the first public expression of Kashmiri anger against Modi govt’s actions of last August. 1/n https://twitter.com/TheIndiaCable/status/1342057557796343808

The first point to appreciate is the nature of the Gupkar Alliance: it was not an electoral alliance for seats, like other gathbandhans but formed with the specific and forcefully stated objective of restoring the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. 2/n

The second point is the environment in which these polls were held for the opposition: a hostile administration, use of central agencies, aggressive security forces, no campaigning by top NC or PDP leadership and candidates stopped from moving in the name of security. 3/n

The third point is the fallaciously optimistic conclusion of some commentators that these elections are a win for democracy or they will lead to a revival of politics. It ignores the reason people turned out to vote: to show their disapproval of the decisions of August 2019. 4/n

The final point is about the performance of the BJP, which was not as good in the Jammu-Chenab region as it was in the last assembly polls. The NC held its own even in the Jammu region and Congress marked its presence all over the state. It is a reality check for the parties. 5/n

Bottomline: The results of the DDC polls, with the Gupkar alliance leading both in the number of seats and in the number of district councils it will control with Congress support, are enough proof that BJP’s agenda of last August has failed to win the round in the UT. 6/n

(7/7) It is hard to expect any honest introspection from those who are in power but for those who care to hear, the message from these polls is clear: All is not well in Kashmir.