Kashmir India’s Administered Begins First Election
Srinagar, MINA – The first phase of local civil elections has opened in Indian-administered Kashmir on Saturday amid tight security.
It is the first general election in the disputed region since the New Delhi government revoked its special status last year.
Nearly six million, voters in 20 districts in the disputed region are eligible to elect 280 District Development Council members in an eight-phase process that began on Saturday and ended on December 19, Al Jazeera reported.
Authorities deploy tens of thousands of additional troops in an already heavily militarized area to guard the vote. Government troops set up razor wires and set up steel barricades on the streets around 2,146 polling stations set up for the first phase.
Pro-India parties in the region have recently formed a coalition, called the Gupkar Alliance, which has campaigned for the region’s special status to be restored.
Many local candidates accused the police of using security concerns as “an excuse to harass them”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) has also campaigned fiercely for elections in the Muslim-majority region in a bid to replace the local pro-India Kashmiri party.
“The parties that have joined hands under the Gupkar Alliance are corrupt. Our party provides justice. People have understood this and are now following us, ”said Mohammad Ismail, a BJP candidate.
The Indian government says voting is an important grassroots exercise to promote development and tackle civilian problems.
The Election Commissioner KK Sharma appealed to citizens to cast their votes and “participate in the biggest festival of democracy.”
Elected members would not have legislative powers and will be fully responsible for the economic development and welfare of the people in the region.
Many Kashmiris say they are determined to make their voices heard.
“We had planned to boycott the elections, but after the Gupkar Alliance was formed it forced us to rethink. We decided that we will cast our vote to keep the BJP away, ”said resident Ghulam Nabi. (T/RE1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
