By Kaveesha Fernando
SRINAGAR, India (CWBN)_Â Stage five of the District Development Council (DDC) elections in Jammu and Kashmir are being held today in 37 constituencies, 20 in Jammu and 17 in the Kashmir divisions. The election is being held in 8 phases, the final of which will be held on December 19. Votes will be counted on December 22.
Over 800 000 voters are eligible to cast their ballots today. As with stage 4, voting will begin at 7 am and conclude by 2 pm. 155 candidates are contesting from Jammu division, while in Kashmir the number is 144. There seems to be more than a modest amount of female participation: 30 and 40 of the candidates from Jammu and Kashmir respectively are women.
This year’s election is the first democratic exercise of its kind in the troubled region of Jammu and Kashmir, but its citizens might not see the election as positive. The removal of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which granted Jammu and Kashmir special status and limited autonomy, has been bitterly opposed by residents. In fact, recent developments have seen the formation of a historic alliance: the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration’s (PAGD).
An amalgam of seven of the region’s political parties, PAGD formed an alliance in a fight to bring back Article 370, which allowed (among other things) a separate constitution, flag and the freedom to make laws independently. However, it appears that this alliance of former rivals is not without its problems – Indian media reports that there have been tensions within PAGD recently.
As with all of the elections held this year, health and safety guidelines are being followed in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among voters and election officials.
