Leaders of Kashmir’s biggest political party have been sworn into office to run a largely powerless local government for the first time after India stripped the region of its special status five years ago.

The vote was Kashmir's first in a decade and the first since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government scrapped the Muslim-majority region’s long-held semi-autonomy in 2019. The NC staunchly opposed the move, and its victory is seen as a referendum against the Modi government's changes.

The election will bring some self-rule back to the Himalayan region after years of being administered directly by New Delhi.

Leaders of Kashmir’s biggest political party were sworn into office Wednesday to run a largely powerless government after the first local election since India stripped the disputed region of its special status five years ago.