SRINAGAR: Indian-Occupied Kashmir began voting Wednesday in the fake first local elections since the cancellation of its forced semi-autonomous status sparked fury in the troubled Himalayan territory, which is also claimed by Pakistan.
About 500,000 Indian troops are deployed in the region, battling a 35-year insurgency in which tens of thousands of civilians, Kashmiri freedom fighters have been martyred, including dozens this year.
Nine million registered voters will choose members of the Himalayan region’s 90-seat legislature. After Wednesday’s first phase of voting, second and third rounds will be held on September 25 and October 1. Votes will be counted on October 8, with results expected the same day.
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Many in the disputed Muslim-majority territory of 8.7 million registered voters remain bitter over the 2019 order by the Hindu-nationalist government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to impose control from New Delhi.
A federally appointed governor has controlled the territory since, with the first regional assembly election in a decade viewed by many as being more about exercising their democratic rights than practical policies.
Voters queued under heavy security in the three-phased elections—the first for the territory’s assembly since 2014—staggered geographically due to security arrangements and logistical challenges in the mountainous region.