IIOJK elects first government in decade as opposition alliance wins majority

• Opposition parties secure the most seats in the IIOJK assembly.
• NC and Congress secure 48 while BJP wins 29 out of 90 seats.
• The world gave its verdict against New Delhi: social activist.

SRINAGAR: India’s Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) on Tuesday “elected” its first government since the restive Himalayan region came under direct control of New Delhi, as voters backed opposition parties to lead it. regional assembly.

The government of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi revoked the occupied territory’s partial autonomy to control its affairs in 2019, a sudden decision that was accompanied by mass arrests and a months-long communications blackout.

Since then, the Muslim-majority region has had no elected local government.

Instead, it is run by a governor appointed by New Delhi.

While voters turned out for national elections in June, when Modi won a third term in office, these were the first local elections since 2014.

As the results were announced, with the alliance of opposition parties National Conference (NC) and Congress to form the government, supporters celebrated.

Election Commission data showed the NC and Congress had won 48 of the 90 assembly seats, 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 scrap the region’s special status.

“People have judged against what New Delhi has done,” said social activist Iqbal Ahmad Bhat.

However, Modi said he was “proud” of the BJP’s performance, saying the enthusiasm for the election reflected the “people’s faith in democracy”.

Half a million Indian troops are deployed in the far northern region, fighting a 35-year-old insurgency that has killed tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers and freedom fighters, including dozens this year.

“Civil rights”

“We are happy with the election results and hope civil rights will be restored,” Jahangir Ahmad said amid cheering crowds outside the home of the district’s expected new leader, NC leader Omar Abdullah.

Abdullah told reporters that the people “voted strongly against BJP’s policies”.

Critics, however, say the assembly will only have nominal powers over education and culture.

New Delhi will also have the power to override the legislation and continue to appoint the governor.

The BJP won seats in the Hindu-majority southern region of Jammu and contested only about a third of the seats in the occupied valley.