Around 74.1 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the first phase of Panchayat polls in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
According to the figures released by state’s chief electoral officer this evening, brisk polling was recorded in three out of six districts of Kashmir Valley which went to the polls today.
In Kashmir Valley, the highest, 71.9 per cent, polling was recorded in Kupwara district. The polls were held in Keran, Ramhal, Tarathpora, Teetwal and Tangdhar blocks of the district. With 69.1 per cent polling, Baramulla was the second highest turnout district. High voter turnout in Uri and upper reaches of Rafiabad upped the poll percentage.
In Bandipora district, 55.7% of the electorate voted in poll-bound area of the landlocked Gurez Valley. The turnout was moderate to low in Budgam, Srinagar and Ganderbal districts.
While Budgam recorded 30.1 per cent voter turnout, the turnout was 11.9 and 21.8 per cent respectively in Ganderbal and Srinagar districts.
The elections were held in Gund block in Ganderbal, Khanmoh in Srinagar and Khansahib in Budgam district.
In Jammu and Ladakh regions, the voter turnout remained impressive in nine districts which went to the polls.
According to the figures, 70.9 per cent poll percentage was recorded in Kargil, 59.7 in Leh, 74.1 in Kishtwar, 80.8 in Doda,78.2 in Ramban, 83.6 in Udhampur, 78.9 in Rajouri, 80.0 in Kathua and 78.7 per cent in Poonch.
The panchayat polls are being conducted in the state after a gap of seven years in nine phases. In the last panchayat polls held in 2011, the voter turnout across the state stood at 82 percent.
The term of last panchayats had expired in 2016 and the previous PDP-led government failed to hold the polls despite repeated directives from the government of India since 2017 to go ahead with the electoral exercise.
While the National Conference and People’s Democratic Party have decided to stay away from the electoral exercise, the resistance groups have asked people to boycott the polls in line with their three-decade-old anti-election policy.
The major mainstream parties have decided against participating in the polls, citing New Delhi’s “ambiguous” stand on Article 35A, which has been challenged by rightwing groups in the Supreme Court.
PANCHAYAT GHAR GUTTED IN FIRE
A fire broke out in Nutnussapanchayat building in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Saturday evening.
An eyewitness said the panchayat building at Khan Mohalla, Reshwari area of Nutnussa, Kupwara, was partially damaged in the fire.
As the news spread in the village, locals informed the fire and emergency department concerned. “The fire tenders took some time to reach the spot. The single story building got partially gutted in the fire,” said a local of the area wishing not to be named.
The water tender rushed to the spot as soon as the news of the incident was received, an official said.
The single story panchayatghar with four rooms, was build a decade ago.
The fire broke out around 7:30 in the evening, “The fire partially damaged the building. The cause of the fire is being ascertained,” SSP Kupwara Shri Ram Ambarkar told Greater Kashmir.
“The fire was brought under control by the fire tenders and the locals of the area. Rest of the details will follow,” he added
This was its first kind of such incident in the area, the Panchayat elections are scheduled on 11th of December in the Nutnussa area. (Muzamil Shah)