Jammu & Kashmir | High stakes battle
It is the season of plenty in Kashmir. Shimmering gold fields of paddy, ripe for harvest, interspersed with neat rows of saffron corms. Apple orchards laden with fruit, along the highway to Pulwama district, 50 km from Srinagar. A tapestry ringed by impassive grey Himalayan massifs and a sparkling blue sky with tufts of pristine white clouds floating by. It is not just Nature that is holding out hope and promise in the Valley. The wind of democratic and political change is currently sweeping across Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), where assembly polls are being held after a hiatus of 10 long years. The election for the 90 assembly seats—43 in Jammu and 47 in Kashmir—is being held in three phases from September 18 to October 1. The results will be out on October 8, alongside those of Haryana.
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