The Indian Prime Minister’s hopes for his party coming to power in Kashmir were dashed on Tuesday, after it emerged that the Bharatiya Janata Party lost the first elections held since the national government stripped the region of its autonomy and statehood.
Instead, the election delivered a resounding victory for India’s main opposition party, the Congress, and its regional partner, the Jammu and Kashmir National Congress (JKNC), which came together in an alliance to defeat Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, which also participated in the coalition. Rules at the national level.
According to the results released on Tuesday afternoon, the Congress-JKNC alliance won 48 seats, giving them a comfortable majority, while the BJP got 29 seats.
The Kashmir region, located in the Himalayas, has been disputed between India and Pakistan since independence, with three wars taking place over the region, and it is now under partial control of both countries. Since the 1990s, it has also been home to a violent armed insurgency loyal to and supported by Pakistan, which has left tens of thousands dead, and the region remains a hotbed of conflict.
Local council elections have not been held in Indian-administered Kashmir for a decade. The elections, which began in phases in September, were considered particularly significant because they were the first since 2019, when Modi’s government abrogated Article 370, which had granted Jammu and Kashmir a special form of autonomy since independence.
The Modi government’s decision to revoke Kashmir’s autonomy was a long-standing pledge from his Hindu nationalist party. The move was followed by a harsh crackdown and was met with anger by large sections of Kashmiris, who saw it as an attack on Kashmiri identity and an attempt to change the demographics of the country’s only Muslim-majority region.
While local body elections in Kashmir have historically been marred by boycotts and low voter turnout, many voters described this as the first opportunity to have a political voice since the removal of Article 370 five years ago and to express their dissatisfaction with the actions of the Modi government. The polls were characterized by vociferous campaigning and peaceful voting, with turnout reaching 64%.
Waqar Ahmed Wani, a student from Srinagar, said: “In the last five years, the BJP has unleashed harsh treatment against Kashmiris. There was no freedom to speak about anything. We hope that will change.”
Speaking to reporters after the results were announced, JKNC leader Omar Abdullah, who is expected to become prime minister, declared that “democracy has prevailed in Jammu and Kashmir after a long time” and called on Modi to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. region.
“With this mandate, one thing is clear, that the BJP targeted us and tried to weaken us, but their presence has been eliminated,” said Abdullah, who was among the political leaders jailed by the Modi government in the 2019 crackdown.
The win is likely to be a major boost for the Congress Party and the opposition All India Alliance, which already exceeded expectations in June’s general elections that returned Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party to power for a third term but with a smaller majority.
Despite the loss, the BJP leadership in Kashmir was positive about the results, especially in the Hindu-majority areas of the region, where the party dominated.
“This was the best performance of the BJP so far,” said Jitendra Singh, a senior BJP leader and a minister in the Modi government. “We fought these elections solely on the basis of the development issue and tried to transcend class, creed and religion, and added a new culture to these elections.”
The BJP also had cause for celebration elsewhere after it managed to retain power in the state of Haryana, where local election results were also announced on Tuesday, ensuring the party’s continued dominance over its so-called “Indian heartland” in northern India.
Thanks to actions taken by Modi after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, the central BJP government still has significant powers over Kashmir, while the regional assembly has been largely stripped of its influence and assumes a more ceremonial role.
Abdul Majeed Malik, a Kashmiri voter, said he doubted the elections would bring any significant change, but said there was “relief that the BJP has been contained.”
“This government can act as a buffer between New Delhi and the people of Kashmir,” he said. “They can at least stop further attacks on our identity and rights.”
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