Kashmir elections 2024: Who’s in the fray and what’s at stake?

These are the first regional elections in Kashmir since New Delhi stripped its semi-autonomous status in 2019.

Indian-administered Kashmir – Kashmiris are set to vote to elect a local government for the first time in a decade, five years after India’s Hindu nationalist government suspended the state legislature and brought the Muslim-majority region under New Delhi’s direct rule.

The elections come weeks after New Delhi expanded the powers of its hand-picked administrator in the region, drawing criticism from mainstream Kashmiri parties as well as India’s main opposition Congress party. They say the government step has “disempowered” the region’s legislature.

Kashmir has been at the heart of a rivalry for 77 years between India and Pakistan, both of which govern part of the Himalayan territory but claim it in its entirety.

So how significant are the local elections and will they help resolve the region’s issues — ranging from high unemployment to deep-rooted grievances over political and human rights?

The state elections – the first in 10 years – are scheduled to be held in three phases starting on September 18.