India-controlled Kashmir prepares for first local elections since autonomy revocation: Video
Indian-administered Kashmir is gearing up for its first local government election in a decade, and five years after the region's semi-autonomous status was revoked by India's central government.
This significant event comes as tensions remain high in the disputed territory, which has been a source of conflict between India and Pakistan since 1947. Both nations claim Kashmir in its entirety, though they each control part of the region.
The revocation of Kashmir’s special status in 2019 by the Hindu-nationalist government under Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi left many in the Muslim-majority region frustrated. The decision brought the area under tighter control from New Delhi, eroding local governance power.
Ahead of the elections, some residents have voiced tempered expectations. Mukhtar Ahmad Tantray, a 65-year-old retired government officer, told AFP: “It won't make that much difference since the local government doesn't have a lot of power now. But still, with a representative government, people can go and plead with their local representatives and tell them their grievances. Even if the representatives cannot do anything, they can still at least raise the issues."
Sharing these sentiments, 73-year-old trader Navin Kotwal said, “You see the kind of system that has been formed; until statehood is restored, we'll have to work within the system the government in Delhi has pushed us into.”
However, some locals view the elections as a step toward easing the bureaucratic stranglehold on the region. Syed Ali Choudhary, a 38-year-old dairy farmer and activist, commented, "I agree that the government that will be formed won't have as much power as before, but at least the people of Jammu and Kashmir will have some relief. There are a lot of apprehensions regarding the government that will be formed, but there is a saying: something is better than nothing. I feel it will be the end of ten years of excess bureaucratic rule in Jammu and Kashmir."
The elections will be held in three phases, starting on September 18, followed by additional voting on September 25 and October 1. The results are set to be announced on October 8.
