Opposition parties seeking the restoration of autonomy in volatile Indian-administered Kashmir have edged out the party of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the first regional election since New Delhi imposed direct rule five years ago.
The Indian National Congress in alliance with local partner the National Conference secured 48 seats out of 90 in the regional assembly, according to poll results released on Tuesday.
The region has been without an elected government since 2018 and was stripped of its limited autonomy a year later in a decision that downgraded and bifurcated the state into the federally administered regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, which made the change under Mr Modi five years ago, won only 29 seats, mostly in the Hindu-majority Jammu region.
The new government will have its decision-making powers limited to civic affairs and public administration, with New Delhi retaining absolute power over law and order.
The National Conference has pledged to fight for the restoration of statehood and laws that gave the region special status under the Indian constitution, including the now-scrapped Article 370.
"Democracy has prevailed in J&K [Jammu and Kashmir] after a long time. People have announced their verdict ... The results of a few seats are yet to be announced, but one thing cannot be denied – people have chosen NC,” said Omar Abdullah, chairman of the National Conference who was chief minister of state from 2009 to 2014.
The victory means he will return to lead the region again, his father and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said.
The election for 90 seats – with 47 constituencies in the Muslim-dominated Kashmir valley and 43 in Jammu – was held in three phases starting on September 18 and concluding on October 1.
A total of 8.7 million voters, comprising about 4.5 million men and 4.2 million women, were registered to vote, the Election Commission of India said, and a turnout of 63 per cent was recorded.
The other major player was the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) but dozens of independent candidates also stood. The PDP was led by Mehbooba Mufti, the last chief minister of the former state. The party was in an alliance with the BJP until 2018.
The elections were held after boundaries were redrawn between constituencies in a move that was expected to yield more seats for the BJP in the Jammu valley. The changes increased the number seats from 87 to 90, with Jammu, a BJP stronghold, gaining the bulk.
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