NC won the election, but has it failed the people’s hopes?

April 12, 2025 by News Desk

Bhat Yasir

Abdul Rahim Kar (name changed), a resident of Ganderbal, spent months before the assembly elections tirelessly campaigning for the National Conference (NC). He was a party loyalist by default—but this time, his motivation was personal. His son, a young NC worker, had been arrested for nothing more than his political association. He believed that if the party returned to power, justice would follow.

For years, he had heard the NC leadership say that Kashmiris had been disempowered since 2019, that the administration had weaponized powers against locals, and that the return of an elected government would mean a rollback of injustices and a restoration of dignity.

But months into NC’s rule, Kar frequently finds himself standing outside the district magistrate’s office for having one or the other work done. The banners he once carried in support of the party now feel like a cruel joke.

His son, arrested for nothing more than being an NC worker, is still being harassed every few weeks—just as he was before the elections. The promise of change has hit a wall. The apparatus that operates outside the control of the elected government remains untouched. The laws that NC claimed were weaponized against political workers, activists, and ordinary people still stand firm. The bureaucracy, which NC once accused of harassing Kashmiris in the absence of elected representatives, functions with the same impunity—if not more.

“Tell me, what has changed?” Kar asks, his voice breaking with frustration. “My son is still harassed, my family is still living in fear. And the same leaders who spoke about our disempowerment now tell us to be patient.”

The truth is raw and uncomfortable- the real power structure remains the same. The elected government talks about governance, but for Kar, and for thousands like him, the question is no longer about what was promised- It is about whether Kashmiris were ever meant to reclaim their power at all.

A Government Built on Promises, Now Unwilling to Address Them?

Restoration of Article 370 and statehood, amnesty for political prisoners, 200 free units of electricity, revocation of PSA, one lakh jobs, economic protection, food security—these were not just empty slogans. They were guarantees. But where is the follow-up?

The NC, after taking office, seems paralyzed in the face of its own electoral commitments. Even within party circles, there is growing unease. One senior NC leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Kashmiriyat, “We fought this election on the slogan of disempowerment, and now we act as if power alone is the goal. People are expecting relief, some kind of urgency in addressing their concerns, but what are we giving them? A long silence and bureaucratic inaction.” Another NC leader admitted, “The priorities of the government are misaligned. The people wanted decisive governance. We are still caught in meetings, in formalities. We need to move faster before this mandate becomes meaningless.”

While some within NC still recognize the weight of expectations placed upon them, the party itself is slipping into its old habits of delay, caution, and selective governance.

The biggest tragedy is that this is not the National Conference of Sheikh Abdullah, one leader said. Sheikh Abdullah fought two battles—one within power which started right after he took the chair of Prime Minister in 1948, and one in 1975 “In his first battle, he resisted Nehru’s attempts to centralize control over Kashmir, refusing to become a puppet. That cost him 11 years in prison. In his second battle, he returned to power in 1975, negotiated with Congress, and restructured governance to rebuild Kashmir from administrative chaos,” he said.

What battle is the current NC fighting? Because it is neither resisting power nor restructuring governance. It is simply maintaining a system that it once promised to change.

The Disempowerment Post-2019: A Void That Could Not Be Filled Overnight

To be fair, no one expected miracles. Healing the wounds of 2019 and its aftermath is not a one-day process. It is a structural and political battle, But there is a difference between slow progress and no effort at all.

So far, the NC government has neither presented a clear roadmap for statehood nor taken substantial steps to push for the restoration of autonomy. There have been no follow-ups on resolutions, no legal challenges, no diplomatic efforts—only vague assurances that things will take time. Meanwhile, people are left with the same economic distress, the same administrative high-handedness, and the same legal framework that criminalizes dissent.

A Kashmiri businessman from Anantnag, who had hoped for economic revival, said, “Before elections, we were told that the return of governance would mean protection for local businesses. But the same arbitrary policies continue, the same external corporations are favored, and the same bureaucratic hurdles exist. We are still treated like second-class participants in our own economy.”

And then there is the issue of political prisoners. Before elections, NC leaders spoke passionately about how young Kashmiris had been wrongfully detained. Yet, in power, they have failed to secure even a single major release or even speak about it. The families of detainees continue to plead for justice, while the government offers only silence and noncommittal statements.

If this is the return of governance, what exactly has changed?

During the recently concluded Budget Session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly (March 3–April 11, 2025), three bills were passed, alongside significant financial approvals. The Assembly sanctioned grants amounting to thousands of crores for departments like School Education (₹1,201.49 crore), Health and Medical Education (₹881.37 crore), and Social Welfare (₹450.43 crore).

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also presented the annual budget, which introduced expanded welfare measures such as enhanced pensions, free public transport for women, 10 kg of free ration per person for AAY beneficiaries, and increased marriage assistance for girls from economically weaker sections. Discussions also included private members’ resolutions, including a notable one advocating for the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A.

However, the three bills that were actually passed focused largely on administrative matters and minor governance reforms—with little to no connection to the National Conference’s key electoral promises. Issues central to the party’s mandate—such as political autonomy, safeguards for land and jobs, and legal protections post-Article 370—remained untouched in legislative terms. While the session did see energetic debate and a return to democratic procedures, the legislation delivered fell short of the transformative change that was both promised and expected.

This disconnect has drawn criticism from various quarters, including the opposition and civil society, who argue that the government missed a crucial opportunity to address the pressing concerns of the people. Issues such as employment generation, restoration of land and domicile rights, and political decentralization—central to NC’s narrative—remained largely unaddressed. As a result, while the assembly session marked a return to democratic functioning in the region, the legislative output fell short of the expectations it had set.

One of the biggest failures of the new government so far is the continued economic hardship that Kashmiris face. The high aspirations that fueled the National Conference’s decisive mandate now stand in stark contrast to the stagnation on the ground. No large-scale recruitment drive has been announced. Private businesses continue to struggle under excessive scrutiny, and the informal sector remains in crisis. The economy, already battered by years of uncertainty, shows no signs of revival ad the small businesses continue to suffer in silence.

Worse still, there is no firm policy on agriculture, the backbone of Kashmir’s economy. Instead of addressing shrinking farmlands, irrigation shortages, and the rising cost of fertilizers, the new government—in a similar modus operandi to the system they once opposed—is boasting about the rush of tourists to Kashmir and the farmland acquisition.

Tourism is seasonal. Agriculture is survival.

Yet, the new government seems more interested in showcasing packed hotels and bustling Gulmarg slopes than in tackling the deeper economic crisis. The emphasis on “record-breaking tourism” may look good in press conferences, but it does nothing for the people struggling with falling incomes, or the small shopkeepers watching their businesses collapse under the weight of regulations and taxes.

Politics beyond the same question of identity

Food security is emerging as a major crisis. The price of rice, a staple for Kashmiri households, has skyrocketed, pushing many families into financial distress. The much-promised 10 kg of free rice or atta per person per month remains either unavailable or inconsistently distributed. A shopkeeper in Anantnag put it bluntly, “The government spoke about food relief, but where is it? People are now forced to buy ration at double the price while hearing speeches about prosperity.”

Government subsidies remain inadequate, forcing poorer families to reduce their basic food consumption. The economic burden on everyday Kashmiris is heavier than ever, yet the administration seems more occupied with rhetoric than action.

Winter blackouts persist, and despite the promise of 200 free electricity units, household bills remain unchanged. Kashmir’s energy dependence on external suppliers continues, with no concrete steps taken to transfer hydroelectric projects to J&K—a demand that has long been at the heart of economic self-sufficiency.

“We are still begging for electricity in the 21st century,” said a resident of Ganderbal. “And our leaders are talking about plastic bans as if that is our biggest problem.”

A tectonic shift in priorities: The disconnect between leaders and the people

And what is the NC government focusing on instead? A plastic ban.

Yes, plastic waste is an environmental problem. Yes, sustainability matters. But when families are struggling with food insecurity, when political prisoners remain behind bars, when employment remains a broken promise—should banning plastic be the first major concern of this government?

A senior journalist in Srinagar, frustrated with these misplaced priorities, remarked, “If the Assembly is truly the last house of hope, as some legislators called it, then it needs to act like one. It needs to fight for economic stability, political dignity, and legal justice—not just for social media relevance.”

The disempowerment of Kashmiris over the past five years has not been selective. Pahari, Gujjar-Bakerwal, Urdu-speaking Kashmiris, Baltis, Dardi-speaking communities, Punjabi-speaking Kashmiris—all have suffered. The struggle has been collective, the pain widespread.

This election was never just about winning seats. It was about restoring trust. But when an elected government spends more time on bureaucratic formalities than on addressing people’s struggles, that trust erodes fast.

For Abdul Rahim Kar, for the young men still behind bars, for the jobless graduates, for the struggling farmers and small business owners, hope is fading. And if the NC leadership continues to govern with hesitation instead of action, that hope will soon disappear altogether. This is not about miracles. It is about leadership.