Voting begins in parliamentary elections in Kashmir

By Hilal Mir

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir (AA) - Voting began early Monday for Srinagar’s parliamentary constituency in Indian-administered Kashmir amid accusations that police arrested political workers to bring the turnout down.

Being the first major election in the disputed region since 2019, when the Indian government scrapped its political autonomy, regional political parties have pitched it as a sort of referendum on New Delhi’s decision.

Nearly 1.75 million eligible voters will cast their ballots for Srinagar, which includes the capital Srinagar and the two rural districts of Ganderbal and Budgam. On May 20 and 25, elections will be held for the northern Baramulla and southern Anantnag-Rajouri seats, respectively.

On Sunday, Waheed-ur-Rahman Parra, one of the main contenders for the seat in Srinagar constituency, from the People's Democratic Party, wrote on X that a top police officer had directed his officers to “minimize voter turnout by detaining, harassing our workers.”

“Such actions serve the interests of anti-national elements, not India,” said Parra.

Similar allegations were made by former chief minister Omar Abdullah, who is contesting the Baramulla seat, and two political parties -- the Apni Party, an ally of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the People’s Conference, which has been accused of being a BJP proxy.

A police statement, however, said the statements and “speculations of political parties suggesting that the police have been harassing their party workers in different ways at the behest of the other is without basis.”

Polls in Srinagar are being simultaneously held across 10 Indian states and Union Territories for 98 parliamentary seats.