Voting in Kashmir, a once semi-autonomous region in Northern India, is underway in the first general election since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government took control in 2019.

The Muslim-majority region has seen protracted conflict, insurgency and state repression for decades. That has left many residents disempowered, and some feel voting in this year's general election would legitimize Indian rule.

But Waheed Para, the People's Democratic Party candidate in Srinagar, the largest city in Jammu and Kashmir, feels it's important for residents to take the chance to have their voices heard in the Indian parliament.

"We are trying to heal people," Para told DW in Srinagar. "We are all traumatized in many ways. Every one of us has lost something, personally, politically, socially and emotionally. There is definitely a sense of loss in all of us."