Far from the raucous political environment of the Valley, behind the mighty Himalayas, election day in Gurez passed with a methodical calm. While an undeclared curfew locked down the Kashmir Valley and the politics of boycott hung over the turnout in its other two constituencies at Bandipore and Sonawari, polling day in Gurez closed with 74 per cent of voters exercising their franchise, the highest in ten constituencies that went to polls in the state.

Close to the Line of Control, Gurez is home to 15,330 voters deciding the fate of six candidates. The NC’s Nazir Ahmad Khan, who won in 2002, now faces a challenge from the Congress’s Faqir Muhammad Khan followed by PDP’s Nazir Ahmad Bhat.

But what sets Gurez apart from the rest of the Valley is the absence of the azadi debate, even though locals are extremely conscious of their political affiliations. And what is more, the Army for them is a benign presence vital for their survival. “In winter, when snow cuts us off from the world, the Army takes over and becomes a major source of our livelihood,” says the numberdar of Niru, Sarwar Mir.

But Gurez’s real significance lies in its distance from the turbulence of Kashmir’s politics. Here, they like to keep it simple. “Our only demand from the contestants is to help solve our problems,” says Zainullah from Dawar. “We have urgent bread-and butter-issues. Our villages get little electricity and there is hardly any clean drinking water”.

However, while people espouse democracy as a remedy to their problems, the ground reality — from the rundown roads to the decrepit government school — is not so rosy.

... contd.