Electoral Politics in the Erstwhile State of Jammu & Kashmir

Textual Exercise

Glossary

Term	Definition
Universal Adult Suffrage	The Right of all adults to vote in the elections. The Right To Vote is guaranteed by the Constitution of India under Article 326 of the Indian Constitution. Every citizen has to attain the age of 18 to exercise this particular right.
Amendment	A minor change in the Constitution through legislation.
Alliance	An alliance is a relationship resorted to among people, groups , political parties or States to join together for mutual benefit or to achieve a common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them.
Proclamation	A public or official announcement dealing with matter of great importance.
Elector	A person who has right to vote in an election, especially one for members of a legislature.

Questions

1. Collect information about any of the elections held in the erstwhile state of J&K. 

Answer: The first Assembly elections were held in 1957 under the new Constitution adopted in 1956. National Conference contested elections under Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad. It won 68 seats with 41 unopposed. Out of the remaining 7 seats, 5 went to Praja Parishad, one to Harijan Mandal and one to an independent candidate.

OR

In 1972 Assembly elections were held during the Chief Ministership of Syed Mir Qasim. The ruling Congress won with two-third majority capturing 58 seats ( 30 out of 43 in Kashmir and 28 out of 32 in Jammu) . The Jan Sangh won 3 seats and Jamait-i-Islami, a new entrant, won 5 seats (All from Kashmir valley) and remaining seats went to independent candidates. The Praja Socialist Party & Communist Party of India got no seat. The total voting percentage in the Assembly elections recorded was 62.17%

2. Match the following:

Column A	Column B
The first ever (Praja Sabha) Legislative Assembly through the regulations of Maharaja Hari Singh were conducted	May 1st,1951
The proclamation for the formation of Constituent Assembly was issued on	After 1987 elections
Legistative Assembly suspended for Six years	in 1934

Answer:

Column A	Column B
The first ever (Praja Sabha) Legislative Assembly through the regulations of Maharaja Hari Singh were conducted	In 1934
The proclamation for the formation of Constituent Assembly was issued on	May 1st,1951
Legistative Assembly suspended for Six years	After 1987 elections

3. Your friend was not in the class room when this chapter was taught. When he came next day and repeated what he heard from classmates. Can you tell him what is wrong with these statements. 

a) Maharaja Hari Singh ruled J&K till accession of the state with India. So there is no need of Praja Sabha (Elected Legislative Assembly) in 1934;

Answer: A step to electoral processes in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir found its expression in the pre-1947 period with Glancy Commissions Recommendations. It prompted Maharaja Hari Singh to adopted Legislative Assembly (Praja Sabha) comprising 75 members. The first ever Legislative Assembly of 1934 had limited electoral component with only 33 elected members out of which 21 seats were reserved for Muslim representation.  The regulation reserved 10 seats for Hindus, 2 for Sikhs and 30 seats reserved as special nominations of Maharaja (in which 12 nominations were restricted to state bureaucracy/ official members). Legislative Assembly (Praja Sabha) was ended on 31st December 1937. The election was intended to enfranchise about only 10% adult population.

b) For Praja Sabha elections, the right to vote was not on the basis of Universal Adult Franchise. Does it mean that practice should continue in present time also?

Answer: The 1934 election restricted franchise to Village and District Headmen, Priests, Managers of Religious Property, Title Holders , Medical Practitioners, Pensioned Officers/ Veteran Bureaucrats and those who had passed middle school examination or equivalent. Women in general were excluded except for those with required qualification. The election was intended to enfranchise about 10% adult population. Today every adult citizen is entitled right to vote. Therefore the old  practice is neither feasible nor acceptable today.