Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said his government plans to hold elections in Jammu and Kashmir soon.
He told regional leaders in Delhi on Thursday that polls could be held after an exercise to redraw the boundaries of assembly seats was carried out.
This was the first such meeting since a controversial decision revoked the region's special status in 2019.
Relations between Delhi and the restive Muslim-majority Kashmir valley have worsened in recent years.
Modi's government imposed direct rule in 2018 after his party's coalition with a local party broke up.