Voting for Parliamentary Election Begins in Kashmir

Srinagar, MINA – Voting for parliamentary elections in Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir began on Monday, amid accusations that police arrested a number of supporters of political figures to reduce voter turnout.

It is the first major election in the disputed region since 2019, when India’s government revoked its political autonomy, with regional political parties calling it a kind of referendum on the New Delhi government’s decision.

Nearly 1.75 million eligible voters will cast their votes for Srinagar, which includes the capital Srinagar and two rural districts of Ganderbal and Budgam. On May 20 and 25, elections to the seats for Baramulla north and Anantnag-Rajouri south respectively will be held.

On Sunday, Waheed-ur-Rahman Parra, one of the main contenders for the seat in the Srinagar constituency, from the People’s Democratic Party, wrote in harassing our workers.”

“Such actions are in the interests of anti-national elements, not India’s interests,” Parra said.

Similar allegations were also made by former chief minister Omar Abdullah, who is contesting the Baramulla seat, and two political parties Apni Party, an ally of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the People’s Conference (a proxy of the BJP), which were accused of the same.

However, a police statement refuted the allegations saying, “speculation by political parties that the police have harassed their party workers in different ways at the behest of other parties is baseless.”

Polling in Srinagar was held simultaneously in 10 states and Union Territories of India for 98 parliamentary seats. (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)