Kashmir polls ‘peaceful’
THOUSANDS of troops guarded polling stations as Indian Kashmir last Saturday (28) held its first direct elections since the government stripped its semiautonomy status last year.
On high alert for attacks by separatist militants, dozens of police and paramilitaries with machine guns watched outside each voting station while army patrols toured the streets.
The region has been under heavy security since the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government imposed direct rule in August 2019.
Two soldiers were killed in an ambush blamed on militants in the main city Srinagar last Thursday (26).
But officials said nearly 52 per cent of the 700,000 eligible voters cast ballots during the first of the eight days of polling, braving the security, Covid fears and snow-covered terrain to elect local council members. Results are expected on December 22.
Thermal scanners were set up at polling booths and staff handed out face masks and hand sanitiser as precautions against coronavirus.
Top election official KK Sharma said polling had been peaceful, barring “a small incident of stone pelting” by protesters in the southern Kashmir valley.
While the councils have only limited powers, several Kashmir political parties, including the National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) formed an alliance to use the election to campaign for the restoration of the region’s political autonomy.
The alliance accused the government of harassing its candidates while helping those from the ruling BJP. The election commission denied the allegations.
Last Friday (27), authorities restricted PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti to her home and police stopped reporters from attending a press conference she called.
Mufti was among the political leaders under house arrest for months after the clampdown. Police, however, denied she was under detention again.