Indian government has announced on Friday that local elections will be held in India-occupied Kashmir for the first time in 10 years.
The elections, scheduled to take place in three phases between September 18 and October 1, comes after the region's semi-autonomy was revoked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in 2019.
“After a long gap, elections are due and will be held in Jammu and Kashmir,” Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said in a statement.
The elections will be held in a staggered process, with tens of thousands of troops deployed to prevent any outbreak of violence. The votes will be counted on October 4.
The multi-stage voting will elect a local government, including a chief minister and council of ministers, from pro-India parties participating in the elections.
However, the local assembly will have limited legislative powers, with only nominal control over education and culture.
The Indian parliament will retain the power to legislate laws for the region, and policy decisions will be made in New Delhi.
Nearly nine million people are registered to vote, according to the election panel.
Kashmir, India's only Muslim-majority region, has been at the heart of 77 years of animosity with neighboring Pakistan since the two nations' independence from colonial rule by Britain.
