Srinagar: Expressing satisfaction over high voter turnout in the second phase of Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today said trends indicate that the mission to bring about a change in the state was taking shape on the ground.
“Polling has established that the people of the state especially Kashmir have seen through the game of dividing their votes to facilitate foisting a government through intrigue. The fact that overwhelming majority of people came out to vote is an indication that their mission to bring about a change was taking shape on the ground,” PDP President Mehbooba Mufti said.
Addressing roadside meetings in Khansahib Assembly constituency in Budgam district of central Kashmir, Mehbooba said in last two elections, unfortunately, a group of politicians made themselves available for dividing the vote in Kashmir and help promote the inevitability of coalition governments.
“But, now that the trend throughout the country has swung in favour of strong single party governments. The people in Jammu and Kashmir too have decided to bury the unstable coalition culture,” she said alleging that about a dozen political parties were lunched on election eve in Kashmir with the same objective of fragmentation of vote.
Mehbooba said, however, high voter turnout would be helpful in defeating the design and establishing a true democratic system in the state which is not vulnerable to such manipulations.
The PDP president said the party was contesting elections on a visionary but pragmatic agenda.
“We are not promising moon or stars to the people, but we have identified areas of political and economic importance so that the state can be liberated from political uncertainty and the development process is taken to the next level,” she said.
Mehbooba added, PDP aspires to make Jammu and Kashmir politically empowered, economically self-reliant, socially cohesive, environmentally safe and culturally vibrant place for its people who have been sufferings since 1947.
She said once voted to serve, her party would reform the state government by transforming into ‘Smart Government'.
“The administration will be made proactive, transparent, accountable and fiscally responsible with the help of the people,” she said, adding generating meaningful employment for the youth would remain a prime focus of the PDP government under the leadership of former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
