Kashmir holds first regional election since India scrapped its special status

Pratap Chakravarty

22 September 2024 at 6:04 am·1-min read

India this week kicked off Jammu and Kashmir's first legislative elections in 10 years, with high turnout reported. It is the first time the disputed Himalayan territory has voted since India revoked its autonomous status five years ago, a change residents want to see reversed.

Staggered voting to elect 90 members of the regional parliament got underway on 18 September and is set to conclude on 1 October.

Officials said more than 61 percent of 2.6 million registered voters – tens of thousands of people – cast their ballots in the first 24 constituencies to vote on Wednesday.

The remaining 66 constituencies will go to the polls on 25 September and 1 October with results expected on week later, according to India's electoral commission.

Thirteen political parties are in the race for a majority in the Indian-controlled territory, which is divided into the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley and the Jammu district, dominated by Hindus and a stronghold of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The wider Kashmir region is claimed in full by Pakistan and has been the battleground for two of the three wars between India and Pakistan since 1947.

Indian Kashmir headed for polls after a decade of turmoil and direct rule

Quest for autonomy

The brisk turnout took analysts by surprise, as attacks and boycotts by separatists have impacted previous elections in the territory.

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Quest for autonomy

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