The second phase of the District Development Council (DDC) elections in Jammu and Kashmir recorded a voter percentage of 48.6 percent at the end of polling, according to ANI.
KK Sharma, State Election Commissioner has also informed that 65.54 percent of the votes were polled in Jammu division and 33.34 percent in the Kashmir division.
Polling began in the second phase of the DDC elections in J&K on the morning of Tuesday, 1 December, at 7 am and continued till 2 pm, reported news agency ANI.
Officials told PTI that the polling was underway amidst tight security arrangements and snowy weather, and as the day progressed, the voter turnout was expected to increase, “Polling began at 7:00 am. Initial reports suggest that only a few people have so far turned out at polling stations due to early morning winter chill,” one said.
The second phase of the DDC polls witnessed over 321 candidates – 196 from Kashmir and 125 from Jammu – fighting for votes, with voting taking place at 2,142 polling booths – 837 in Jammu Division and 1,305 in Kashmir – representing 7.90 lakh eligible voters, reported ANI.
From the 280 constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, 43 polled in the Union Territory’s second phase of DDC elections, of which, 25 were in Kashmir and 18 in Jammu division, reported PTI.
The election was also held in 83 sarpanch constituencies with over 223 candidates (151 male, and 72 female candidates) contesting the polls, reported ANI.
331 panch constituencies also held by-polls in which will see over 700 candidates (552 males and 157 female candidates) competing for seats, reported ANI.
Authorities declared all 1,300 polling stations in the valley as sensitive and said the areas have been secured with proper security arrangements in place. “Almost all booths in Kashmir are sensitive from the security point of view. Additional security has been provided in the polling stations in the valley," state election commissioner KK Sharma told PTI on Monday.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
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