J&K municipal polls: Low turnout in 3rd phase of polls in Srinagar

Jammu region's Samba district recorded an overwhelming 66% voting during the first six hours in the third phase of the state's municipal polls on Saturday, October 13, while Kashmir Valley witnessed a low turnout. The voting is in progress in the third phase of the four-phased ULB polls in Jammu and Kashmir from 6 am covering a total of 96 wards of eight municipalities – 40 wards in Kashmir valley's Anantnag, Baramulla and Srinagar districts.

"In Jammu's Samba district, 49.90% votes were cast in Samba town, 73.33 in Ramgarh, 64.15 in Vijaypur and 69.12 in Bari Brahmana town," poll officials said.

"In Anantnag district, 2.36% voters exercised their franchise in Mattan town while in Baramulla district, 67.79% votes were cast in Uri. There was no voter in Sopore town of the same district during this period.

In Srinagar district, the voter turnout was very low with just 1.33%, according to the officials.

In Samba district, polls were being held for the four municipal committees of Samba, Ramgarh, Vijaypur and Bari Brahmana.

In Anantnag, voting took place for the Mattan municipal committees while in Baramulla district voting was held for Uri and Sopore.

For the Srinagar municipal corporation, voting is being held in four wards.

In the Valley's Pulwama and Bandipora districts, some candidates have been elected unopposed while in the other wards no candidate had filed papers for the third phase contest.

Voting began at 6am and will end at 4pm in Jammu's Samba district and the valley's Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla, Pulwama and Bandipora districts.

A total of 365 candidates are in the fray for 96 wards of eight urban local bodies comprising 193,990 electors.

Additional staff were deployed at polling stations with a large number of electors, poll officials said.

Shaleen Kabra, the state's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), said the overall poll percentage in the first two phases of the municipal polls that took place on October 8 and 10, has been 47.2%.

Kabra said that to ensure free and fair elections, observers have been deployed, including micro-observers at 222 hypersensitive polling stations in the Kashmir Division and 19 in Jammu Division.

The municipal elections that are taking place after 13 years in the state, are being held in four phases, covering 79 municipal bodies with an electorate of about 17 lakh voters.

The polling in Samba will complete the ULB elections in all the 10 districts of Jammu region which recorded a high-voter turnout in the first two phases.  The first phase of elections covering three districts of Jammu, Poonch and Rajouri on October 8 recorded 65% voter turnout while in the second phase on October 10 covering six districts of Kathua, Udhampur, Ramban, Doda, Reasi and Kishtwar witnessed 78.6% voting.

The fourth phase on October 16 will be held in six districts of Kashmir valley.  Municipal elections are being held in four phases, covering 79 municipal bodies with an electorate of about 17 lakh electors. A total of 3,372 nominations have been filed for 1145 wards.  The counting of votes will be held on October 20.  Adequate security personnel were deployed for maintaining law and order and observers, zonal and sectoral officers are monitoring the polls to ensure free and fair elections.

Ramgarh is leading the voter turnout chart in the first six hours of polling at 73.18% followed by Bari Brahmana (68.97%), Vijaypur (65.17%) and Samba (49.82%). Long queues of voters were witnessed outside almost all polling stations and a record voter turnout is expected at the end of the polling at 4 pm, officials said.

"This is for the first time I am voting in any elections. It is my right to choose a representative who could work for the welfare of the people," a first time voter Monika said after casting her vote at government higher secondary school at Badani in Samba.

Another first time voter, Sonika, said she dedicated her vote to strengthen the democracy in the country.  Vote is our right and we should not waste this opportunity," she said.

(with inputs from agencies)