SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Voting in the final phase of the election to choose a local government in Indian-controlled Kashmir began Tuesday in the first such vote since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government stripped the disputed region of its special status five years ago.

India’s northern-most region of Jammu and Kashmir concludes local elections on Tuesday as concerns mount of an uncertain outcome that may delay economic progress in the restive province.

Indian-administered Kashmir was voting 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.Hindu-nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government cancelled Kashmir's partial autonomy in 2019,

A key resistance leader in Indian-controlled Kashmir says the regional polls to choose a local government will not resolve the decades-old conflict over the disputed region.

India’s curb on separatist militancy and other forms of dissent pushes new candidates – and voters – to participate in local elections in Kashmir.

As the northern Indian region of Jammu and Kashmir heads to the polls for its first regional-level elections in nearly a decade, voters and candidates alike are still feeling the political hangover from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2019 decision to revoke the region’s special autonomous status.

In Jammu and Kashmir, the final phase of assembly elections sees over 3.9 million eligible voters at polling stations. By 9 am, turnout was 11.6%, with significant participation from new voters.

The third and final phase of polling in Jammu and Kashmir elections is set to start on Tuesday, with 40 constituencies up for election. Campaigning c

As many as 415 candidates are in the fray from these 40 seats voting today. 16 of these seats are in the Kashmir region while 24 in the Jammu region. About 3.9 million voters are eligible to cast their franchise at 5,