India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting the main city in Himalayan Kashmir to campaign for his party in the staggered local election in a first such vote since New Delhi stripped the disputed region’s semi-autonomy in 2019.

Eight constituencies in the Jammu region and 16 from the Kashmir Valley voted on the first phase of assembly elections. Two more rounds of voting remain.

With fresh faces emerging to challenge the traditional political powerhouses, the region’s political dynamics already appear to be changing.

Three months after his worst election performance to date, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing another challenging vote: this time in the fragile region of Jammu and Kashmir, where separatist sentiment is strong and voters are angry with their loss of autonomy.

PM Modi has pledged to restore statehood to J&K during an poll rally. He accused the Opposition of seeking to reinstate Article 370, which he claimed would lead to violence.