India-possessed Voting in the first local elections held in Kashmir after its special semi-autonomous status was revoked which caused intense anger in the valley.
Many in the 8.7 million registered voter Muslim majority area are still resentful of the Hindu-nationalist government led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2019 decision to impose rule from New Delhi.
Since then, the area has been governed by a governor nominated by the federal government, and many people believe that the first regional assembly election in ten years was more about people expressing their democratic rights than it was about actual policy.
The three phases of the polls, which will be geographically staggered due to security measures and logistical issues in the hilly terrain, saw voters line up under strict protection.
“We are finally able to be heard after ten years,” said 31-year-old Navid Para, who was one of the first voters in Pulwama, a town close to Srinagar, in the crisp early mountain air.
“I want my voice to be heard,” he continued.
In the region, around 500,000 India forces are fighting a 35-year insurgency that has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of combatants, civilians, and soldiers, including hundreds this year.
Vote in “large numbers and enhance the festival of democracy,” Modi encouraged the people.
