Buddhist monks and Muslims in the Indian Himalayan territory of Ladakh turned out to vote on Monday, demanding statehood and the protection of their local culture in the overwhelmingly Hindu nation.

Almost half the people in the sparsely populated, cold desert region bordering China and Pakistan are Muslim, with around 40 percent Buddhist, putting it among the least Hindu places in the country.

Ladakhis' demands have so far gone unfulfilled by the government of Hindu nationalist Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, primed to win another stint in power.

Voters including Buddhist monks in ochre robes lined up to cast their ballots at polling stations in Leh, the territory's main town.

Buddhist gompas, monasteries and symbols are ubiquitous in Leh, as are memorials to soldiers killed in clashes with the neighbouring countries, with the area been highly militarised since a 2020 border faceoff with China.

For decades Ladakh was part of the semi-autonomous Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Residents have long demanded a legislature of their own, constitutional protection of the local culture, and measures to defend its fragile environment.