E-Paper
16% polling in Anantnag, one killed, 22 injured
Despite grenade attacks that left one person dead and 22 injured, 16% voting was recorded in J&K.
Ignoring militants' threat and their attempts to disrupt the polling by grenade attacks that left one person killed and 22 inured, 16 per cent of the nearly 10 lakh electorate voted for the Lok Sabha election in this high profile constituency of Jammu and Kashmir.
The turn out was marginally above 1999 Lok Sabha elections when 14.32 per cent was recorded but much less than 24 per cent polled in its 16 assembly segments in the 2002 assembly elections.
Noorabad assembly segment of Anantnag district recorded the highest turnout of 46 per cent, while Tral in nearby Pulwama district recorded the least 1.77 per cent voting.
Ruling PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti is locked in a triangular contest with CPI(M) state secretary M Y Tarigami and National Conference's Mehboob Beig.
Militants targeted several polling stations. A bank manager Ghulum Hassan was killed and two other civilians were injured when ultras launched a grenade attack outside a polling station at Anantnag Women's College here.
They also hurled a grenade at a polling in Bijbehara, the home town of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, barely three hours after he along with his wife and daughter cast their vote at the booth.
Fifteen persons, including five securitymen and four polling staff, were injured in the attack. While nine people in serious condition remained in hospital, the rest were discharged after first aid.
