India’s disputed Kashmir votes after special status scrapped

Voting in the first local elections in Indian-administered Kashmir on Wednesday followed the controversial removal of its unique semi-autonomous status, which infuriated the region, which is also claimed by Pakistan.

Many in the 8.7 million registered voter territory with a disputed Muslim plurality are still resentful of the Hindu-nationalist government led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2019 order to impose rule from New Delhi.

Since then, the region has been governed by a governor nominated by the federal government, and many people believe that the first regional assembly election in ten years was more about people expressing their democratic rights than it was about actual policy.

The 65-year-old former government official Mukhtar Ahmad Tantray stated, “Our problems have piled up,” in Srinagar, the capital. “The reins (of power)… were handed over to the bureaucracy.”

Fighting a 35-year insurgency that has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers, and rebels, including dozens this year, are over 500,000 Indian forces stationed in the area.

Unlike previous elections, when separatists against Indian control boycotted votes and demanded that Kashmir become independent or merge with Pakistan, a large turnout is anticipated this time around.

“The dispute is the center of all the politics,” stated 73-year-old shopkeeper Navin Kotwal from Doda in the Jammu area.

“All I care about is that we want to be governed by educated representatives who can solve our problems.”
Vibrant election campaigns have brought forth unusually candid discussions, but security and the appointment of Kashmir’s governor are two major decisions that will continue to be made in New Delhi.

Additionally, Delhi will have the authority to veto laws that the 90-seat assembly passes.

“People can go and plead with their local representative,” Tantray stated. “Even if they cannot do anything, they can at least raise the issues.”
The three-phased elections will begin at 7:00 am (0130 GMT), with voting taking place regionally at different times due to security precautions and logistical difficulties in the hilly area.

Results from the final round, which takes place on October 2, should be known six days later.