ULB polls: Just 8.3% in Kashmir, 61.92 in Jammu, CEO Says “56.7% overall turn out across JK ”

Srinagar: The first phase of the Jammu and Kashmir urban local body elections saw a bleak voter turnout as only 8.3 per cent eligible voters in Kashmir Valley came out to exercise their franchise on Monday. However Compared to Kashmir, the Jammu region showed greater enthusiasm in the polls with 61.92 per cent voter turnout. Jammu’s Poonch recorded a polling percentage of 73.1 and Rajouri 81. Polling in 321 wards of 11 districts of J&K, which started at 7 am and continued till 4 pm, were largely peaceful despite few incidents of stone pelting being reported from some areas. Chief Electoral Officer Shaleen Kabra said that overall polling percentage across the state in the 1st phase of Municipal Polls-2018 has been recorded 56.7 percent.
“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. Kargil and Leh regions recorded high voter turnouts of 78 per cent and 52 per cent respectively, an official said.
In north Kashmir, the Kupwara Municipal Committee recorded a high voter turnout of 36.6 per cent, while the Handwara Municipal Committee recorded voting figures of 27.8 per cent. Polling in the three wards of Srinagar Municipality was conducted amid tight security as only 1,862 out of 30,074 voters turned out to vote in the area. Budgam recorded a turnout of 17 per cent while the figures for Anantnag stood at 7.3 per cent. Baramulla recorded a turnout of 5.7 per cent and Bandipora the lowest 3.3 per cent.
Of the 150 polling stations in the Kashmir division, 138 were categorised as hypersensitive. Internet services were suspended in Bandipora briefly. Jammu, having 4,42,180 electorates in 153 municipal bodies, including 75 wards of Jammu municipal corporation, recorded a voter turnout of 60.6 per cent till 3 pm. Poonch district witnessed a turnout of 70.9 per cent in 26 wards.
BJP candidate from Bandipora Adil Ahmad Buhru was injured after being targeted by miscreants. Buhru was injured after a group of miscreants pelted stones at him while he was on his way to cast his vote at Dachigam, officials said. He was rushed to a nearby hospital. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) J&K Shaleen Kabra said the overall polling percentage across the State in the 1st phase of Municipal Polls-2018 has been recorded 56.7 percent.
With two regional parties — People’s Democratic Front (PDP) and National Conference (NC) — choosing to boycott the polls the contest was largely between the BJP and the Congress. NC and PDP had accused the Centre of not taking a firm stand on the protection of Article 35A of the Constitution which is facing a legal challenge in the Supreme Court. The elections are being held in the state after more than a decade. The last urban bodies elections were held back in the year 2005.