Held Kashmir votes in final round of regional polls

HELD SRINAGAR: Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) was voting on Tuesday in the third and final round of polls to elect its first government since the insurgency-wracked territory was brought under New Delhi´s direct control.

More than half a million Indian troops are stationed around IIOJK and Tuesday´s vote saw a heavy security presence, with rifle-toting soldiers seen guarding polling stations in Baramulla district.

More than 55 percent of eligible voters cast ballots in the first two rounds of the poll.

Prior elections saw lower turnouts after boycotts called by separatist groups, who have waged a decades-long insurgency demanding Kashmir´s independence or its merger with Pakistan.

Modi´s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) says the 2019 changes to the territory´s governance have delivered a new era of peace to Kashmir and rapid economic growth.

While the BJP has fielded candidates in all the constituencies of Jammu, it is contesting only about a third of the seats elsewhere.

Regardless of the outcome, key decisions about IIOJK’s governance will remain in the hands of Delhi, where Modi´s government can use its parliamentary majority to override any legislation passed by the 90-seat assembly. Results will be announced on October 8.