Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir “elected” Tuesday its first government since the restive Himalayan territory was brought under New Delhi’s direct control.
Kasmiri Voters backed opposition parties to lead its regional assembly.
While voters took part in national elections in June when Modi won a third term in power, these were the first local elections since 2014.
As results were announced, with an alliance of the opposition National Conference (NC) and Congress parties to form a government, supporters celebrated.
Election Commission figures showed NC and Congress had won 48 of 90 seats in the assembly, with Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) coming a distant second with 29.
Some called the vote a de facto referendum on the federal government’s decision to repeal the territory’s special status.
Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government cancelled the occupied region’s partial autonomy to control its affairs in 2019, a sudden decision accompanied by mass arrests and a months-long communications blackout.
Since then, the Muslim-majority territory has not had an elected local government.
Instead, it has been ruled by a governor appointed by New Delhi.
New Delhi will also have the power to override legislation, and will continue to appoint the governor.
The BJP won seats in the southern Hindu-majority Jammu region, and fought only from about a third of the seats in the occupied valley.
