NC unlikely to reverse 10% ST quota for Paharis in J&K – Times of India

SRINAGAR: There is unlikely to be a reversal of the 10% ST reservation carved out for the Pahari community in J&K, National Confernce sources said Wednesday, arguing that rolling back the quota could lead to agitations which would not be in the interest of the new party-led govt.
The reservation, unveiled ahead of the J&K assembly polls, results of which were declared Tuesday, was seen as part of political quid pro quo struck by BJP with the Pahari community.But, BJP failed to win in Rajouri and Poonch areas which are populated by Paharis.
The quota issue remains a heartburn among the youth and the non-reserved classes as total reservation in J&K has increased to 70%, majorly shrinking the space for open merit. During the poll campaign, protesters had demanded that the new govt reverse the policy, with claims that the 10% quota is disproportionately higher to the population of the beneficiaries.
Out of the eight seats in Poonch and Rajouri, BJP could win only Kalakot, while NC won four, two went to Independents and one to Congress. These are the pockets where BJP had high hopes of expanding its footprint.
Ahead of the polls, the UT administration announced 10% reservation for Paharis and three other communities, besides the existing 10% ST reservation that includes Gujjars/Bakarwals.
NC sources ruled out a revision, arguing that quota is a sensitive subject, and taking back what has been given can touch off protests which would not be in the interest of the new regime.
“I don’t think we can touch the status quo. It will create a headache and open a new political front. As is it, with what the Centre has done to the powers of the state, there are already many fronts open,” a top NC functionary said.
The failure of BJP to capitalize on the Pahari reservation brought a sense of relief to NC and Congress who “were worried about its fallout” in the elections. Their major fear was that it could help BJP win in Muslim areas of Poonch and Rajouri, which would have been at the cost of the “secular” parties. Finally, BJP was confined to 29 MLAs.
“We were worried. Only Budhal in Rajouri has majority of Gujjar community, while the other seven seats have Paharis in higher numbers,” said the NC functionary, suggesting that BJP could have won up to seven seats if Paharis had voted for it in big numbers in Nowshera, Poonch, Mendhar, Rajouri, Thanamandi and Surankote.
Now, BJP’s failure has become a source of satire on social media, with people mocking that the party was fooled by its greed for power into giving a 10% quota.