Voting began on Wednesday in Indian-administered in its first and also for the first time since the disputed region was stripped of its semi-autonomous status five years ago.
Polling is staggered geographically in the three-phased ballot to elect the local government because of security arrangements and logistical issues in the restive Himalayan region.
Additional troops deployed
Amid a heavy police and paramilitary presence, over 2.3 million residents are eligible to cast their votes in the first phase on Wednesday, which will see 24 Assembly constituencies contested in the region’s seven southern districts.
Kashmir remains one of the world’s most militarized zones with about 500,000 Indian troops deployed in the region, battling a three-decade-old .
Troops were seen wearing riot gear and carrying assault rifles, as they set up checkpoints and patrolled the constituencies in the districts where locals lined up to cast their votes.
Crucial election
The region — which has 8.7 million registered voters — held its last assembly election in 2014.
over the 2019 decision by Indian Hindu-nationalist government to and downgrade the former state to a federally governed territory.
The elections would allow Indian-administered Kashmir to have its own government and a local legislature.
There will be a chief minister heading a council of ministers in the government.
But the transition of power from New Delhi to the local assembly would be limited with Kashmir remaining a “Union Territory,” directly controlled by the government in the center and India’s Parliament continuing to be its main legislator.
The second and third phases of the polls are slated for September 25 and October 5. Ballots will be counted on October 8, with results expected the same day.
Both India and Pakistan claim Kashmir in its entirety, each currently administering a part of the region.
dvv/sms (AP, AFP)
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