In December, when the results of the first ever direct elections held in Jammu and Kashmir after its reorganisation were announced, they were along predictable lines.
The Kashmir valley had overwhelmingly voted in favour of the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, a conglomerate of older, regional political parties that have been demanding the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood and special status under Article 370 of the Constitution, which had been dismantled by the central government in August 2019. The Jammu region, meanwhile, voted largely for the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The elections had been held for establishing District Development Councils, the third tier of local governance in the Panchayati Raj system. All 20 districts in the union territory stood divided into 14 constituencies. Of the 280 district council constituencies, the Gupkar Alliance won 110 seats, followed by Bharatiya Janata Party with 75 seats.
Going by the results, the Gupkar…