India's General Elections were recently held over seven phases between 19th April and 1st June 2024. Narendra Modi's BJP did not win by a landslide like they did in 2019, but they will serve a third term as the ruling party of India. With accusations of spreading disinformation, crackdowns on civil liberties, and other human rights abuses, is it any wonder voters favoured the opposition? In the contested Muslim-majority region of Kashmir, however, the BJP were nowhere to be seen and did not field any candidates, making the results even more complicated. Perhaps this is because they already dominate Jammu (the other half of the union territory), or because they maintain federal rule over Kashmir and do not need the seats. Nonetheless, Kashmir recorded the highest voter turnout in the past 35 years.
In this presentation, Dr Connah examines the shift in voter turnout and what the recent elections mean for the future of Kashmir.
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