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Visit Butengoo, the village of All-Parties Hurriyat Conference chairman Abdul Gani Bhat in Baramulla district of north Kashmir, and you are in for a surprise. There are no anti-election rallies or passionate calls for boycotting the assembly polls.
And it is not because he is not in touch with his village. The Srinagar-based Bhat spends weekends in Butengoo and interacts with the people.
It is some sort of a durbar, where he talks to the people about everything under the sun -- be it politics or agriculture. But the separatist leader never tells them to boycott polls.
"Whenever he visits the village, we talk to him at length about everything. But he has never advised us to boycott polls," said Ghulam Mohommed, an elderly person.
The village -- which has around 1200 families -- has borne the brunt of its son's politics.
In the pre-militancy days, the area was in the grip of the Jamaat-e-Islami party and the government has not bothered with the village's development because of political reasons.
"We have been the traditional voters of [the] Jamaat-e-Islami, so nobody cares about us. The only development we saw over the years was the construction of Jamia Masjid, which Bhat constructed after raising donations from the village," added Mohammed.
The people of this village, where Bhat lived for decades -- are not sure whether to vote or not. "We do not even offer our prayers [at the mosque] because we cannot move around in the evening. We will weigh all pros and cons and if we find it feasible we will definitely vote," said Mohammed Sultan, a farmer.
While the dilapidated roads welcome any visitor, the villagers tell you the stories of water scarcity and elusive electricity supply. And like anywhere else in the valley, the youth here are a frustrated lot.
"Would elections solve the Kashmir issue? Is this election a magic wand that would turn Kashmir into a heaven? I do not think so. Who is bothered about voting," said Nisar Ahmed, a student.
"We are conscious of the situation and will act accordingly. It depends on different factors. We will decide at the time. We will cross the bridge when we reach there," said Abdul Hamid, a businessman in his early thirties.
If there was pressure from the security forces, Ahmed said he would vote.
During the 1996 assembly election, there were allegations that the security forces had forcefully taken people to polling stations.
However, this time the Election Commission has said passed strict instructions, stating that the people should not be forced to vote.
"If have to save myself from beating, I will vote," Ahmed said.
Jammu and Kashmir Elections 2002: The complete coverage
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