India's Kashmir holds first assembly election since losing autonomy
Voters queued outside polling stations in India's Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday to vote in the first provincial election being held in a decade in the Himalayan region that has grappled with years of militant violence.
The nine million registered voters are choosing members for the region's 90-seat legislature in the three-phase election. Votes will be counted on Oct. 8 and results expected the same day.
This election is also the first since Jammu and Kashmir lost its semi-autonomous status in 2019, a decision made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, which claimed it would bring stability and development to the region.
The election is being held in three phases, with the second and third rounds scheduled for September 25 and October 1. In previous elections, voter turnout was often low due to threats from pro-independence armed groups. However, in recent national elections, the region saw its highest voter participation in 35 years, with 58.46% turnout.
Jammu and Kashmir remains at the heart of a longstanding dispute between India and Pakistan, both of whom claim the region in its entirety and have fought multiple wars over it since 1947.
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