51.7% turnout in first phase of J-K DDC polls

The first section of the maiden elections to the District Development Council recorded 51.76% voting in 43 constituencies that went to the polls underneath tight safety preparations in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, official figures confirmed.

The contest is between the newly launched People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, the BJP and the Apni Party floated by former finance minister Altaf Bukhari.

State election commissioner KK Sharma stated, “The first phase of DDC polls was held in 43 constituencies in all the 20 districts of the UT. No untoward incident was reported from anywhere barring a minor incident where a child threw a stone at a polling station in Kulgam. Police took cognizance”.

Sharma stated a lot of individuals got here out to train their franchise. “Out of 7 lakh voters, 51.76% voted today; 212,244 voters turned out in Jammu and 150,522 turned out in Kashmir despite cold wave conditions, and that is an encouraging sign,” he stated.

Sharma stated the Jammu area recorded a voting proportion of 64.2 whereas Kashmir logged 40.65.

The official stated a complete of 362,000 voters exercised their proper to franchise, which included 193,000 males and 169,000 ladies regardless of intense chilly wave circumstances within the higher reaches of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

The highest polling proportion in Jammu was recorded in Reasi district at 74.6% adopted by Rajouri, 70.52%, Poonch, 68.69%, and Samba, 68.61%. In Kashmir, Budgam district recorded a highest voting proportion of 56.96 adopted by Kupwara, 50.74%, Ganderbal, 48.62%, and Shopian, 42.58%. Twenty-five constituencies in Kashmir and 18 in Jammu went to the polls within the first section.

The counting of votes for the eight-phase polls can be held on December 22.

In the second section on December 1, a complete of 43 constituencies — 25 in Kashmir and 18 in Jammu — will go to the polls, with 321 candidates within the fray, together with 125 in Jammu and 196 in Kashmir. For the second section, there can be 2,762 polling stations for 760,664 electors.

The state election fee has prohibited the conduct of any exit ballot and publishing/displaying of the results of any such exit ballot until the final section of the elections is over.

An order by Sharma stated, “In exercise of powers conferred under Section 36 of the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, the election authority prohibits the conduct of any exit poll and publishing or publicising/displaying the result of exit poll by means of the print or electronic media or in any other manner in the ongoing DDC elections in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir till the hour fixed for the conclusion of the poll in the last phase of these elections on December 19.”