News / India

India holds local elections in Kashmir amid boycott by many political parties

Thursday, 24 October 2019 1:55 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 24 October 2019 2:06 PM ]

An Indian paramilitary trooper stands guard on a street during a lockdown in Srinagar on October 23, 2019. (Photo by AFP)

The Indian government has held local elections in Indian-controlled Kashmir amid a boycott by most political parties, which have branded the vote as “undemocratic.”

Since August 5 when New Delhi abolished Article 370 of the constitution that grants a measure of autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir, including the right to draft its own laws, Indian authorities have arrested thousands of people, including politicians, leaders of separatist groups, and other civil society members across the valley.

New Delhi also deployed troops to the region to stymie potential protests and imposed severe restrictions on pro-independence movements, and cut all landline, mobile phone, and internet connections.

On Thursday, village council elections were held across the volatile region, with many mainstream local politicians behind bars.

Most parties have already boycotted the vote, criticizing the timing of the “forced elections” as the state remains under a security lockdown and a near-complete communication blackout.

In total, 26,629 village council heads vote to elect 310 out of 316 blocks, which comprise of a group of villages, in the Muslim-majority region, which is home to seven million people.

PressTV-'Thousands detained in Indian-controlled Kashmir'

Latest official data shows thousands of people have been detained in Indian Kashmir over fears of outbreaks of unrest in recent weeks.

Reports said Indian-controlled Kashmir’s main parties such as National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party and Peoples Conference and other smaller parties have fielded candidates, as they are opposed to New Delhi’s sudden move against the region’s special rights.

The boycott by regional parties has so far left some 60 percent of village council seats vacant. Opposition parties strongly suspect that the polls will install supporters of the central Hindu nationalist-led government.

The August 5 controversial action has angered both Pakistan, which controls parts of Kashmir, and soured Pakistan-India relations.

New Delhi had promised special status to Kashmir when the region was partitioned between India and Pakistan seven decades ago.

However, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have long opposed Kashmir’s autonomy.

After gaining a larger mandate from his Hindu power base in elections earlier this year, Modi’s government wasted no time in implementing their manifesto of creating a Hindu-first nation, where Muslim opposition has no say and is set to be silenced.

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