04:17Crowds of voters were seen flocking to a polling station in Indian-administered Kashmir on Tuesday to choose their local government in the disputed region's first legislative elections since the Modi government stripped it of its special status.
Footage shows soldiers standing guard as dozens of men and women wait in line to cast their ballots.
"Nobody is listening to our grievances, and we have been waiting for almost ten years. At least we will get our own local elected candidate who can fulfil our genuine demands for our better future," a local man said.
"We have come here to cast our ballot for change and development; we are facing many problems as we do not have proper healthcare facilities, the electricity tariff has drastically increased […] and we do not have clean drinking water, which is the basic necessity for life," added a second.
This election is the first assembly vote in Jammu and Kashmir since the repeal of Article 370 in 2019, which ended the region's special autonomy and divided it into two Union Territories. The Bharatiya Janata Party's decision to revoke the region's special status faced significant opposition, and the area has been under direct central rule since then.
Opposition parties such as the Indian National Congress and National Conference are working to regain local control. In December 2023, India's Supreme Court upheld the legality of the 2019 decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir's special status. Pakistan, however, disputes India's territorial claim and dismisses the court ruling as part of an annexation attempt.
The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections are being conducted in three phases: September 18, September 25, and October 1.
'Nobody's listening to our grievances' - Voters head to polls as Indian-administered Kashmir holds first election in 10 years
Crowds of voters were seen flocking to a polling station in Indian-administered Kashmir on Tuesday to choose their local government in the disputed region's first legislative elections since the Modi government stripped it of its special status.
Footage shows soldiers standing guard as dozens of men and women wait in line to cast their ballots.
"Nobody is listening to our grievances, and we have been waiting for almost ten years. At least we will get our own local elected candidate who can fulfil our genuine demands for our better future," a local man said.
"We have come here to cast our ballot for change and development; we are facing many problems as we do not have proper healthcare facilities, the electricity tariff has drastically increased […] and we do not have clean drinking water, which is the basic necessity for life," added a second.
This election is the first assembly vote in Jammu and Kashmir since the repeal of Article 370 in 2019, which ended the region's special autonomy and divided it into two Union Territories. The Bharatiya Janata Party's decision to revoke the region's special status faced significant opposition, and the area has been under direct central rule since then.
Opposition parties such as the Indian National Congress and National Conference are working to regain local control. In December 2023, India's Supreme Court upheld the legality of the 2019 decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir's special status. Pakistan, however, disputes India's territorial claim and dismisses the court ruling as part of an annexation attempt.
The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections are being conducted in three phases: September 18, September 25, and October 1.
Crowds of voters were seen flocking to a polling station in Indian-administered Kashmir on Tuesday to choose their local government in the disputed region's first legislative elections since the Modi government stripped it of its special status.
Footage shows soldiers standing guard as dozens of men and women wait in line to cast their ballots.
"Nobody is listening to our grievances, and we have been waiting for almost ten years. At least we will get our own local elected candidate who can fulfil our genuine demands for our better future," a local man said.
"We have come here to cast our ballot for change and development; we are facing many problems as we do not have proper healthcare facilities, the electricity tariff has drastically increased […] and we do not have clean drinking water, which is the basic necessity for life," added a second.
This election is the first assembly vote in Jammu and Kashmir since the repeal of Article 370 in 2019, which ended the region's special autonomy and divided it into two Union Territories. The Bharatiya Janata Party's decision to revoke the region's special status faced significant opposition, and the area has been under direct central rule since then.
Opposition parties such as the Indian National Congress and National Conference are working to regain local control. In December 2023, India's Supreme Court upheld the legality of the 2019 decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir's special status. Pakistan, however, disputes India's territorial claim and dismisses the court ruling as part of an annexation attempt.
The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections are being conducted in three phases: September 18, September 25, and October 1.