Shahid Shafi RatherA year after the National Conference (NC) regained power in Jammu and Kashmir, the initial wave of optimism has faded into disappointment. Across cities and remote villages, from traders to students, and farmers to government employees, more people now believe that the Central Lieutenant Governor (LG) administration was more honest, fair, and disciplined than the current local government.

The NC came to power with promises of restoring the people’s voice, boosting development, and ensuring lasting stability in Jammu and Kashmir. However, twelve months later, these promises are mostly unfulfilled. Development projects are moving slowly, welfare programs get stuck in red tape, and ordinary citizens feel that decisions are influenced more by political favoritism than by fairness or need.
In contrast, many remember the LG administration as a time of steady, visible governance. While it may not have been political, it was practical. Roads were fixed, public services improved, and key administrative reforms were implemented quietly. The LG administration’s focus on efficiency, transparency, and equality gave people confidence that the central system was serving them rather than just a party or constituency.
This comparison has become a common topic of discussion across Jammu and Kashmir. Locals from different districts say that the LG administration approved projects based on merit, not political connections. Government offices were more prompt, complaint resolutions became digital and easier to access, and governance appeared less corrupt and consistent. For many, that period represented a rare phase of integrity and accountability, which is currently lacking in the political setup.
Now, the NC-led government faces rising criticism for uneven development. Locals claim that ministers prioritize their own constituencies while neglecting others, creating feelings of exclusion and frustration. This uneven approach has reinforced the belief that political governance has become self-serving again. Conversely, the LG administration is viewed as neutral and focused on treating every district equally.
Social commentators and young activists, including voices like Mudasir Dar from South Kashmir's Pulwama, have highlighted this change on their online platforms. They observe that trust in regional politics is fading, not due to ideology, but because of experience. Despite its bureaucratic nature, the LG administration provided something politicians have not: predictability, discipline, and results.
This growing preference for the LG-led administration reflects a broader shift in public sentiment. The people of Jammu and Kashmir are no longer influenced by slogans of identity or emotion; they demand effective governance. They want peace on their streets, jobs for their youth, accountability in offices, and fairness in development. The old political style, filled with empty promises, is losing its grip on an increasingly informed and aspiring population.
Many see the LG administration as a source of stability after decades of uncertainty. Its governance may have been centralized, but it was targeted. It worked quietly and that quietness became its strength. It demonstrated that when corruption and favoritism are minimized, even small improvements a functioning road, a reliable water supply, a responsive office can rebuild trust in the system.
The NC is at a turning point. Its return to power was meant to renew democratic governance in Jammu and Kashmir, but it has yet to convince the public that politics and progress can coexist. If it does not act quickly to ensure fair development, empower local voices, and restore trust, the party risks losing its political footing and moral credibility.
Today, Jammu and Kashmir does not want grand speeches or political drama. It seeks integrity, peace, and stability values that many feel the LG administration has better represented than the elected government.
As a senior citizen in Srinagar recently said, “We may not know politics, but we can see who is working.” This simple truth reflects the public mood across the region: people are choosing sincerity over showmanship, administration over arrogance, and most importantly, governance over politics.

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