The desire to bring a change in the state has brought a young voter working in Delhi to the Kashmir Valley. Even though 26-year-old Adil admitted that he had no desire to come back to Jammu and Kashmir permanently, he wanted to ensure that clean and good candidates enter the state Assembly.
Adil works with the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research in Delhi but is a voter in Kulgam constituency where the electorate is extremely excited at the huge turnout in the first phase of polling on November 25. He and his friends said that Kulgam had undergone a massive change in the last decade and transformed into a town from a small village.
They added that Kulgam voters, too, would come out in large numbers to exercise their franchise on December 2 in the second phase of elections.
While many youngsters that IBNLive spoke to in different constituencies were not keen on voting, Adil said that if the younger generation does not come forward then the state can never develop. Admitting that unemployment and corruption were the two biggest issues plaguing the state, he said that the first problem can be addressed only if big private industries are set up in Jammu and Kashmir.
"There is no job for youngsters. This is why I moved to Delhi. At other places there are many private companies and lot of jobs but there is nothing here. After completing their education, young boys and girls have no option here. There are only government jobs here and for that one must have a very good source or pay bribe," said Adil.
"Corruption is endemic here. After a leader is elected, his or her main motive is to make money. But our MLA (Mohammad Yousuf) Tarigami has done good work unlike many others. The roads are good, there is a district hospital and even the security situation is much better in Kulgam," he said.
In fact the roads and the district hospital seemed to be in a much better shape in Kulgam than many other neighbouring constituencies where enthusiasm about elections was missing.
He said that just like other parts of India, the development of Kashmir is dependent on peace in the Valley. Calling on all the stakeholders - India, Pakistan and Kashmiris - to find a solution soon, he said that unless peace is restored completely, the region will never be able to fulfil its potential. "India is developing so fast. It is several years ahead of Kashmir. We need to have peace here and only after that development will be possible," he added.
Communist Party of India-Marxist Jammu and Kashmir Secretary Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami has been representing Kulgam since 1996 and is seeking a fourth consecutive term.
Tarigami has formed a front called the Awami Muttahida Mahaz (AMM) with Tangmarg MLA Ghulam Hassan Mir of the Democratic Party Nationalist (DPN) and Khansahib MLA Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen of the People's Democratic Front (PDF). Both Ghulam Hassan Mir and Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen had won as independents in the 2008 Assembly elections.
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