News

How India’s crackdown on Kashmir – and the blowback – transformed the region’s politics

Much is at stake in Jammu and Kashmir’s legislative assembly elections.

The region is facing myriad problems stemming from the separatist insurgency that erupted here nearly four decades ago. Over the past five years, India’s central government has stripped Kashmir of its statehood, delayed local elections, and used sweeping new security laws to jail critics – all in the name of securing peace. Any group that fundamentally opposed Indian rule in Kashmir has been banned.

Why We Wrote This

A story focused on

India’s disputed Kashmir region is witnessing a political transformation, as Delhi’s curb on separatist militancy and other forms of dissent pushes new candidates – and voters – to participate in local elections.

The elections, which run from Sept. 18 to Oct. 1, mark residents’ first shot to regain some local autonomy.

The mood on the ground is different from in years past. Gone are the calls to boycott elections and the looming terrorist threats that once deterred people from the polls. And although early data suggests overall voter turnout has remained static, many Kashmiris report feeling energized by a wave of new, independent candidates challenging the region’s traditional parties – sometimes from behind prison bars. 

Street vendor Javaid Ahmed Bhat, who has never voted in local elections before, feels it’s imperative to do so this time. The days of anti-India street protests are over, he says, and now “we have to vote.”

Street vendor Javaid Ahmed Bhat has never voted in local elections. Now, he feels it’s imperative.

Jammu and Kashmir – the contested, north Indian territory he calls home – is facing myriad problems, most stemming from the armed insurgency that erupted here in the late 1980s. Over the past five years, India’s central government has stripped Kashmir of its statehood, delayed local elections, expanded its military presence, and jailed critics of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), all in the name of securing peace in the region.

Kashmir’s highly anticipated legislative assembly elections run from Sept. 18 to Oct. 1, with results expected next week. They mark residents’ first shot to regain some semblance of local autonomy.

Why We Wrote This

A story focused on

India’s disputed Kashmir region is witnessing a political transformation, as Delhi’s curb on separatist militancy and other forms of dissent pushes new candidates – and voters – to participate in local elections.

Although early data from the first two voting phases suggest turnout has remained relatively static compared to the last assembly elections in 2014, the mood on the ground is markedly different. Gone are the calls to boycott elections and the looming terrorist threats which once deterred people from the polls, and many Kashmiris are feeling energized by a wave of 346 independent candidates challenging the region’s traditional parties. 

Rashid Wani, a businessman from south Kashmir, says the past five years have left many Kashmiris desperate to express their anger. “People are participating in elections [and] joining rallies,” he says. “These votes are against the BJP.” 

Mr. Bhat agrees. The days of anti-India street protests are over, he says, and now “we have to vote.”

Previous ArticleNext Article