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

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.