Voters in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir began casting their ballots on Wednesday morning in local elections, the first since the revocation of the region’s autonomy.

Polling stations opened for the first phase of the elections, which will be conducted in stages for security reasons, with approximately 8.7 million registered voters invited to participate.

It is important to note that the Indian-administered part of Kashmir has been without a government since 2019, following the cancellation of its autonomy. These elections come amid escalating clashes between security forces and civilians.