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September 18, 2024

Jammu and Kashmir News: A Decade Later: Jammu and Kashmir Holds First Provincial Elections

Kashmiri women stand in a queue to vote at a polling station, during the first phase of assembly election, in south Kashmir's Kokernag September 18, 2024. REUTERS/Sharafat Ali

SRINAGAR, September 18 — Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian-held part of the troubled territory, voted in its first provincial election in a decade on Wednesday. Citizens lined up in large numbers at the polls in the region, many of which are still recovering from conflicts that spanned over years. It can be therefore remarked that the election is an important milestone on the democracy building process for this troubled region.

It says that the election is conducted in three phases enabling over nine million registered voters to choose members of the 90 seat legislature of Jammu and Kashmir. The tallying of the votes is set for October 8 with the outcome also being released on the same day.

Faced with many challenges, ranging from political to social and economical, this is the first election since the decision of the central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to abrogate the part of the constitution that afforded limited autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir in 2019. This move was highly unpopular and one of the most often discussed problem of the current election campaign.

First-Time Voters Speak Out

In turn, for many people of the region, this election is the first chance to participate in the political process. Mohammad Asim Bhat, a 23-year-old first-time voter, expressed his enthusiasm: “They came and I gave my vote for development We have been empowered to vote and I have been voting for the last ten years and it feels good to be able to vote again. ”

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The state of Jammu and Kashmir located in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent is the only Muslim majority state in the Indian union and has been troubled zone in the case of conflict between two neighbors India and Pakistan. The two nations have been in three conflicts but two of the conflicts were over the region of Kashmir since their independence from Britain in 1947. The two countries have laid their own claim to the region in its totality, though each controls only some portion of it.

Election Amidst Uncertainty

Separatists have in several occasions over the years sought to frustrate electoral polls in what is known as, Kashmir, thus, voter apathy. But in the national elections conducted in April and May this year, the region registered the highest voter turnout in the last 35 years with 58 percent. 46% representing increasing concern in the pursuit of influence over the development of the territory.

The current political fight is between regional political parties many of whom are still demanding the return of Article 370 while facing the BJP which campaigns on a platform of development and counter-terrorism.

The new legislative assembly which will be formed after this election will exercise powers to tackle problems, make laws and administer the region. But to reposition the region, which the Nigerian constitution reserved as a special status, cannot be done by the state.

While voting goes on across the three phases, the people of Jammu and Kashmir will be watched by their fellow citizens and international observers to see how they consolidate their political destiny.

Arundhati Roy

Arundhati Roy

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