Over 50 percent polling was recorded in three District Development Council (DDC) constituencies Tangdar, Kalarose and Kralpora of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district that went to polls on Saturday.
Talking to Greater Kashmir, District Election Officer Kupwara Bashir Ahmad said that 49.63 percentage voting (8931 votes) was witnessed in Kalarose constituency including 5822 votes by men and 4410 by women. Kralpora witnessed a voting of 41.33 percent with 8931 votes including 4521 by men and 4410 by women while Tangdar recorded the highest turn out with 57.85 percent with 18,486 voters casting their vote, 9872 among them men and 8614 women.
“Polling was carried out in free and fair atmosphere and no untoward incident was reported across these constituencies,” Ahmad said.
Polling was also held today for eight sarpanch and 79 panch seats. Among them four sarpanch and 28 panch seats were lying vacant in Kalarose block while voting was also held for three sarpanch and 13 panch seats in Kralpora block.
A total of 29 candidates were in the fray in the three DDC constituencies. On the Kralpora seat, besides seven independent candidates, one from Peoples’ Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), one from Apni Party and one from BJP tried their luck. On Kalarose seat, six candidates were in the fray while 13 candidates including one from Congress, one from PAGD, one from Apni Party, one from BJP and nine independents contested from Tangdar segment.
The polling started at 7 am and culminated at 2 pm.
Out of total 151 polling booths, 123 were set in place for DDC polls while the remaining were kept for sarpanch and panch elections.
In some polling stations, due to a large voter turnout, voting was held even after 2 pm.
A number of young voters cast their vote for the first time. Rubeena from Kalarose, a first-time voter, said she was looking forward to see the problems of her area redressed after her favorite candidate wins.
In Kralpora, a teenage voter, Rahil Bashir said he was voting for peace and prosperity in the region.
In most of the polling stations COVID19 protocol was not adhered.
District Development Commissioner, Anshul Garg visited several polling booths.