Number: RS21300
Title: Elections in Kashmir
Authors: K. Alan Kronstadt, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division 
Abstract: The United States welcomed the successful October conclusion of 2002 elections in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, where nearly half of the electorate cast ballots. The elections resulted in the ousting of the long-dominant National Conference party, allies of the national coalition-leading Bharatiya Janata Party, thus bolstering the credibility of the process and dampening criticism from some quarters that the elections were flawed or farcical. The opposition Indian National Congress and the regional People's Democratic Party won a combined 36 seats in the state assembly, and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi agreed to a first-ever power-sharing coalition.
Pages: 6
Date: Updated December 5, 2002