New Delhi :Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said democracy has been revived in Jammu and Kashmir with the successful conduct of assembly election as promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Congratulating people of the Union Territory (UT) for their participation in the polls, Shah also said for the first time since the advent of terrorism in the 1980s, the people of J&K witnessed such a transparent and peaceful election and participated in the elections in large numbers.
"The people of Jammu and Kashmir remember the 1987 assembly elections very well, when the Congress made a mockery of democracy by openly rigging the elections. Democracy has now been revived in the same Kashmir valley," he said in a series of post on X in Hindi.
Shah said Prime Minister Modi had promised the people of the country that peaceful and fair elections will be conducted in Jammu and Kashmir.
"I am extremely happy that for the first time since the advent of terrorism in the 1980s, the people of Jammu and Kashmir witnessed such a transparent and peaceful election and participated in the elections in large numbers.
"I heartily congratulate the Election Commission, Jammu and Kashmir Administration, security forces and the people of Jammu and Kashmir for these successful and historic elections," he said.
The senior BJP leader said in J&K, where under the Congress rule, there was only "reign of terror and democracy was being murdered every day", under the BJP rule, the great festival of democracy was celebrated with full pomp and gaiety.
"People elected their representatives without any fear of terror and panic. Heartfelt gratitude to Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji for this unprecedented change," he said.
The elections to the 90-member J&K assembly was held after 10 years and for the first time after the abrogation of Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile state.
The three-phase polling was concluded on October 1 and the results were declared on Tuesday.