A final round of polling was held on Tuesday in elections to regional government in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), a border region at the center of a decades-long dispute between India and Pakistan.
In this third and final phase, votes were cast in 40 constituencies across seven districts, with 415 candidates contesting for seats. Approximately 3.9 million are eligible to vote in this phase, while around nine million registered voters were expected to participate in electing members to the 90-seat legislature. Two previous rounds of polling showed voter turnout of 61% on September 18 and 57% on the 25th, according to media reports.
This election is considered crucial for the region, as the first local poll held since 2014. It is also the first election following the abrogation in 2019 by New Delhi of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which granted a certain degree of administrative autonomy to the Muslim-majority region. Following this change, J&K became two union territories (Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh), largely administered by the federal government.
“We desperately need a local leader in Kashmir, which is why we are all coming out to vote,” a local told an RT correspondent. Another expressed hope that the election would install a government that will enhance employment initiatives.
That move, by a Narendra Modi-led government, affected India’s relationship with Pakistan, Islamabad immediately downgrading ties with New Delhi and suspending the Indian High Commissioner after the ruling. Last year, Pakistan strongly rejected the Indian Supreme Court’s ruling that upheld the change to the constitution. Claimed by both countries, Kashmir has been a contentious issue between the two nuclear-armed nations since their independence from British rule in 1947.
The election and its results that will be announced on October 8 are seen as key to restoring normalcy in a region that has seen terrorist activity, militancy and attempted incursions. Polling took place under heavy security and was largely peaceful but the region has witnessed a surge in terrorist activity in recent months, prompting New Delhi to issue warnings to Islamabad.
New Delhi invited diplomats from 15 countries to observe the election process in Jammu and Kashmir. This is the first time an Indian government has allowed outside observers to witness the polling process in the region.