Indian-administered Kashmir holds first local election after losing autonomy

NEWS WIRES

18 September 2024 at 9:41 am·1-min read

Five years after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its statehood, the northern Indian region voted Wednesday in its first local election in a decade. The disputed Kashmir Valley has experienced profound changes since the last state elections were held in 2014, including inherited protections on land ownership and jobs.

Indian-administered Kashmir voted Wednesday in the first local elections since the cancellation of its special semi-autonomous status sparked fury in the troubled Himalayan territory, which is also claimed by Pakistan.

Many in the disputed Muslim-majority territory of 8.7 million registered voters remain bitter over the 2019 order by the Hindu-nationalist government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to impose control from New Delhi.

"I can now go to my elected representative to solve our issues," he said.

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