Losing control

In a significant development, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) asked the Election Commission on Monday to postpone the April 12 Lok Sabha by-election in Anantnag, South Kashmir, after widespread violence during a similar poll in Srinagar that left eight people dead and over 300 injured. The voter turnout for Sunday's polling stood at a dismal 7.14%, a new low for the constituency.

Under these volatile circumstances, and with separatists calling for a complete boycott of the electoral process, one suspects that the voting percentage could be even lower in Anantnag. As a PDP stronghold, a similar single-digit voter turnout could end up further embarrassing Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and raise questions over her legitimacy as Chief Minister.

This complete rejection of the democratic process and mainstream political parties is especially worrying. Sunday's violence and the PDP's request for a postponement indicate that the ground situation is beyond the control of the State government.