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Version 124 | Version 125 |
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Pulwama: Few voters at India Kashmir suicide attack town | |
(4 days later) | |
India is in full election mode: voting began on 11 April, and the final ballot will be cast on 19 May. Every day, the BBC will be bringing you all the latest updates on the twists and turns of the world's largest democracy. | |
Few voters at Kashmir suicide attack town | |
What is happening? | |
A constituency in Indian-administered Kashmir which saw a militant attack in February that killed more than 40 Indian troops is among the 51 seats where people are casting their votes on Monday in the fifth phase of polling in India's mammoth general election. | |
Pulwama district, which is part of the Anantnag constituency, is one of the areas going to the polls, but there are very few people turning up to cast their vote. | |
The suicide attack in Pulwama in February, claimed by a Pakistan-based militant group, brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war. | |
Voting is being held under tight security amid calls for a boycott from separatist leaders. | |
Why does this matter? | Why does this matter? |
Posters calling the election a "sham exercise" can be seen in many places in the districts, reports Kashmir-based journalist Sameer Yasir. | |
As polling booths opened 07:00, anxious election staff and security forces could be seen waiting for voters, our reporter says. | |
"The streets looked deserted. At certain booths, few voters showed interest in coming out to cast their votes. In the morning, a polling station in Pulwama's Rahmoo village also came under attack from militants, who lobbed a grenade at it." | |
Elections in Kashmir traditionally see low voter turnout. | |
Many people in the territory do not want it to be governed by India, preferring instead either independence or union with Pakistan. | |
High unemployment and allegations of human rights abuses by security forces fighting insurgents have aggravated the problem. | |
"We don't believe in Indian democracy and its farcical elections here," said Mumeen Ahamd, 28, a Pulwama resident. | |
All political parties and the Election Commission have appealed to people to vote in large numbers. | |
The main contenders in the area are former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, the National Conference's Hasnain Masoodi and the Congress party's Ghulam Ahmad Mir. | |
Gandhis up for re-election | |
What is happening? | |
India's main opposition Congress party president Rahul Gandhi, former Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and home minister Rajnath Singh are some of the big names who are facing the ballot on Monday. | |
Voting is taking place in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Indian-administered Kashmir. | |
Why does this matter? | Why does this matter? |
Because it's a battle of big names and there's a lot of prestige on the line. | |
Rahul Gandhi is taking on federal minister Smriti Irani in the Amethi constituency of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. | |
Amethi will be particularly closely watched as it is the Gandhi family's bastion. Mr Gandhi won the seat in 2004, 2009 and 2014, and his mother, Sonia Gandhi, won it in 1999. | |
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said it was confident of defeating Mr Gandhi in his own backyard. | |
But Congress is expecting another win, with party officials pointing to the fact that Mr Gandhi comfortably defeated Ms Irani in 2014. | |
India politicians are allowed to contest more than one constituency and Mr Gandhi is also contesting from Wayanad in the southern state of Kerala, where voting has already taken place. | |
Sonia Gandhi is running in Raebareli - a seat in Uttar Pradesh that she won in 2004, 2006, 2009 and 2014. | |
India votes 2019 | India votes 2019 |
Coverage from previous weeks: | Coverage from previous weeks: |
How do you vote in the election? | How do you vote in the election? |
Here's a video explaining everything that happens inside a polling station - and what happens to your vote after that: | Here's a video explaining everything that happens inside a polling station - and what happens to your vote after that: |
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