Ram Madhav returns

IN the last Assembly elections held in Jammu and Kashmir in 2014, the Bharatiya Janata Party won 25 seats, more than double the 11 it got in 2008. With a three-seat lead, Peoples Democratic Party patriarch Mufti Mohammad Sayeed became the Chief Minister, but the man of the moment was Ram Madhav. The RSS’s poster boy was credited with the BJP’s electoral success and for engineering an alliance with the PDP. Out of favour for nearly five years, Madhav’s induction as BJP’s election incharge in the UT, along with Union minister G Kishan Reddy, marks an end to his political hiatus. Madhav is back in familiar territory — but with a vastly altered political, geographical and electoral landscape. The abrogation of Article 370, bifurcation of the state into UTs and the delimitation exercise have changed the dynamics. The BJP may fancy its chances with the Jammu division gaining seats in the redrawn electoral map, but the new assignment, and at such short notice, will test Madhav’s skills.

Madhav’s return is being attributed to the RSS asserting itself and the BJP being pragmatic. His recent opinion piece, suggesting that the 2024 Lok Sabha election result was a mandate for humility, is a sign of the times. A pushback is apparent against the BJP’s perceived brand of politics that reeks of arrogance, with no room for accommodating contrary views. Madhav has a point to prove on a personal level, and his experience in building bridges with the unlikeliest of candidates could come in handy for the party.

J&K has been without an elected government since 2018. The restoration of the democratic process through three-phase elections provides an opportunity to all political parties to let people’s issues take centre stage. What the UT deserves is a campaign that offers hope.