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J-K civic polls: Heavy turnout in Jammu, Ladakh; most voters stay away in Kashmir Valley
Voting was held in the first of four-phased polling to urban local bodies in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.
Despite terror threats and boycott call by separatists besides the mainstream National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party, the Jammu and Ladakh regions recorded a high voter turnout in the first of the four-phase urban local bodies polls.
Rajouri district with 59 local bodies recorded 81 percent voter turnout—the highest in the state, followed by Kargil in Ladakh region at 78.2, Poonch at 73.1 and Jammu at 63.83 percent. In contrast, the average percentage in the Kashmir Valley was only 8.3 percent, reported PTI.
Jammu deputy commissioner Ramesh Kumar said the elections were peacefully conducted in 153 wards of the district, which has the Jammu Municipal Corporation and seven other municipal bodies, and saw a high turnout.
“There were a total of 154 municipal wards but in ward number 6 in the border town of Arnia, a candidate was elected uncontested and hence 153 municipal wards went to polls on Monday,” he said.
A total of 584 polling stations were set up and the polling was conducted under tight security arrangements, he added.
The 75 wards of Jammu Municipal Corporation saw 447 candidates in the fray - 75 from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 74 from Congress, 23 from the Panthers Party and 274 independents.
Kumar also said that it for the first time, EVMs were used in the civic polls. Out of a total of 600 EVMS used for polling in the Jammu district, only five developed some technical snags and they were immediately replaced, he added.
The deputy commissioner said that there was very good cooperation from all the stakeholders in the civic elections being held after a gap of 13 years in the state. “It is a big achievement indeed,” he said.
Counting of votes will take place at government polytechnic college on October 20 and the results will be announced on the same day, he said.
In the Kashmir Valley, polling in 83 wards of the valley began at 7 am and ended at 4 pm amid tight security as the separatists had called for a shutdown. The other 69, where polling was slated on Monday, had been won uncontested.
“Only 7,057 voters of the 84,692 eligible persons turned up to vote in the wards which went to polls Monday. The polling was by and large peaceful,” an official said, reported PTI.
Despite the tight security, violence marred polling in Bandipora where BJP candidate Adil Buhroo in Ward number 3 was hurt in stone pelting.
BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur said Buhroo has suffered minor injuries but is stable.
As per the official, in north Kashmir, the Kupwara Municipal Committee recorded a high voter turnout of 36.6 per cent, while 27.8 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise at wards of the Handwara Municipal Committee.
Out of the 30,074 voters in three wards of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation, 1,862 turned up at heavily-fortified polling stations.
Budgam recorded a turnout of 17 per cent while Anantnag 7.3 per cent. Baramulla recorded a turnout of 5.7 per cent and Bandipora the lowest 3.3 per cent, the official said, as per PTI.
Three other phases of polling would be held on October 10, 13 and 16 and results counted on October 20.
The state’s two main parties —the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) — have boycotted the elections, protesting against the alleged attempts to dilute the state’s special status, thus turning the electoral battle into a direct contest between the Congress and the BJP.
(With PTI inputs)
