Jammu and Kashmir's 'invisible MLAs': Voted into power, but struggling to govern

Srinagar: When voters in Jammu and Kashmir turned out in large numbers during the 2024 Assembly elections, many saw it as a return to democratic politics after years of central rule following the revocation of the special status of the erstwhile state.

In several constituencies across the Union Territory (UT), long queues outside polling stations reflected public expectations that an elected government would restore accountability and reconnect people with decision-making through their MLAs.

But one and half years after the formation of the government led by Omar Abdullah, many legislators across party lines privately admit that power remains concentrated not with elected representatives, but with the bureaucracy functioning under the UT structure.

The frustration is increasingly spilling into public view.

Last year, ruling National Conference (NC) MLA Ali Mohammad Dar was seen in a viral video being pushed away by officials during a demolition drive against alleged illegal brick kilns in Budgam district.

The incident triggered outrage among political workers and reinforced a growing perception that bureaucrats no longer view legislators as centres of authority.

The deeper unease, however, is no longer limited to opposition benches.

In March 2025, NC MLA Bashir Ahmad Veeri openly accused his party’s chief whip of running the Assembly through “dictatorship” after he was allegedly denied an opportunity to speak in the House.

The protest caused visible embarrassment to the ruling party and prompted Omar Abdullah to take Veeri outside the Assembly chamber for discussions. The details of the conversation were never made public, but the episode highlighted growing frustration even within the ruling alliance.

Weeks later, Veeri again drew attention inside the Assembly when he emotionally appealed for discussion on a private member’s bill related to reservations. Breaking down during his speech, he said he had promised young people in his constituency that he would raise their concerns in the House.

However, the bill failed to move forward, and Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary later dismissed the episode as “theatrics”.

The incidents have highlighted a broader political reality emerging in J&K after 2019 — that even ruling party legislators increasingly feel constrained within a heavily centralised governance system.

Before the constitutional changes, MLAs often acted as influential intermediaries capable of affecting transfers, speeding up development works and directly intervening with district officials. Today, legislators across parties complain that officers primarily report to the Lieutenant Governor-led administration rather than elected representatives.

Veteran CPI(M) leader and five time MLA Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami has publicly stated that official communications from legislators frequently go unanswered — something he says was uncommon before 2019.

For ordinary people, however, expectations remain unchanged.

Residents still approach MLAs seeking jobs, roads, healthcare facilities, water supply and intervention in administrative matters, believing electoral victory translates into authority. But many legislators privately admit they often lack the power to resolve even routine constituency issues quickly.

PDP legislator Waheed ParRA recently summed up the anxiety surrounding the shrinking space for mainstream politics. “When an MLA has no power and is as helpless as a common man, what incentive does mainstream politics offer to the people?” he asked.

The Centre maintains that the post-2019 governance structure has improved transparency, reduced corruption and strengthened grassroots administration. Yet on the ground, the debate in Kashmir is increasingly less about elections and more about authority itself.