SRINAGAR: The third and final phase of the local government elections in occupied Jammu and Kashmir are being held on Tuesday.
The occupation regime claimed that the turnout in the first and second phase of the local government elections remained over 55%.
Political observers said that due to the fear of law and order situation and deployment of hundreds of thousands of military and paramilitary troops, the people of occupied Kashmir did not take any interest in the elections.
Over half a million Indian troops are already deployed in the occupied territory who keep a visual eye on the residents and routinely carry out search and pumping operations.
The local government elections are being held in occupied Kashmir for the first time after Indian government abolished the special status of the disputed territory in August 2019.
The first phase of the local government elections was held on Sept 18. Pakistan has already declared these polls in the occupied territory as illegal and against the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.
Since India abolished the special status of Kashmir in August 2019, the disputed territory administration has not held any local government elections. The last local government elections in occupied Kashmir were held over a decade ago.
There are in total 90 seats of the local government in occupied Kashmir and polling in 24 of them will be held on Wednesday. As many as 219 candidates are in the field for the 24 seats, according to the election commission.
In the second phase of the local government elections in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, polling was held in 26 constituencies of six more districts in the disputed territory on Sept 26.
