New Delhi has invited diplomats from 15 countries to observe the election in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), a Muslim-majority region on the border with Pakistan which has seen decades of unrest. It is the first time the Indian government has allowed outside observers to witness the polling process in Kashmir, according to local media.
Diplomats traveled to Kashmir on Wednesday to witness the second phase of the Legislative Assembly election, which is being conducted in three stages and concludes on October 1. Approximately 9 million registered voters are expected to participate in electing members to the 90-seat legislature.
The group of foreign observers included top officials from the diplomatic missions of the US, Singapore, South Korea, South Africa, Norway, the Philippines, Spain, Algeria, Guyana, Mexico, Nigeria, Panama, Rwanda, Somalia, and Tanzania, the ANI news agency reported on Wednesday.
According to the Hindustan Times, the group included US chargé d’affaires Jorgan Andrews, South Korean deputy chief of mission Lim Sang Woo, and Singapore’s deputy high commissioner, Alice Cheng. They traveled to various polling stations in Srinagar, the largest city in the region, also known as its summer capital, and Budgam, the neighboring district.
“It looks very healthy and very democratic,” American official Andrews was quoted as saying by the PTI news agency. South Korean diplomat Sang praised the ‘pink polling stations’ set up exclusively for women.
The ongoing polls have assumed particular significance as they are the first since the 2014 assembly election in the region. The government at that time was formed by a coalition between the regional Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The coalition, however, collapsed in 2018.
In 2019, the Modi-led government abrogated the Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which granted special privileges to J&K. The state was bifurcated into two union territories (Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, both of which share a border with Pakistan and China), which are administered by the federal government. In December 2023, India’s Supreme Court upheld the decision to repeal Article 370.
The Supreme Court, however, urged the federal government to recognize Jammu and Kashmir as a state again, directing the relevant authorities to hold assembly elections by September 30, 2024.
Rajiv Kumar, the chief election commissioner of India, on Wednesday described the ongoing polling as “history in the making” and a “standing ovation for democracy.” Turnout in the first phase held on September 18 was recorded at around 61%, while in the second phase it was around 57%, according to the Election Commission.
Notably, the region is a major flashpoint between India and Pakistan, with both nuclear-armed neighbors claiming the territory. The 2019 move by the Modi government to abrogate Article 370 triggered an outcry from regional political groups in Kashmir, as well as the government in Pakistan. At the time, Islamabad downgraded ties with New Delhi and vowed to “exercise all possible options” to counter India’s actions in Kashmir. Throughout the years, New Delhi has accused Islamabad of sponsoring “terrorism” in the region.