Voters across Jammu and Kashmir ignored the poll boycott call given by the separatists and braved the bitter cold to exercise their franchise during the recently held assembly elections. In a major setback to the separatists, pro-democracy parties like the National Conference, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party received a fair share of votes, with the NC and Congress tipped to form an alliance.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has hailed the results of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections as the victory of democracy.
The state, which has been witness to a bloody era of militancy and extremism, has clearly chosen the agenda of development over separatism.
Do you think that results of the J&K polls show that a well-governed and strong democracy can tackle extremism, by eradicating factors like communalism at its very root?
In view of the increasing number of ruthless terror attacks across India and the war rhetoric between India and Pakistan, do you think that democracy, not war, is the only way to answer terrorism? Tell us!