Modi's BJP skips Kashmir in India polls for first time in three decades

Ruling party suffers from 'trust deficit' in strife-torn region, analysts say

20240513 Modi in Kashmir

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during a rally at a stadium in Kashmir on March 7, as his bodyguard looks on. © Reuters

KIRAN SHARMA, Nikkei staff writer

NEW DELHI -- India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not fielding election candidates in Kashmir for the first time in nearly three decades, underscoring a "trust deficit" in the conflict-wracked region, analysts say.

The decision to skip Kashmir's three seats altogether comes as voting in the latest round of India's national polls get underway Monday with official results expected in early June. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is widely tipped to win a third term in power at the helm of the world's biggest democracy.

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