No major violence, but Kashmir valley sees mere 4% turnout

SRINAGAR: The fourth and the final phase of municipal polls in Jammu and Kashmir ended on Tuesday with a meager 4.2% voter turnout in the Valley.

The polls were conduct without any major violence despite boycott call from Hurriyat and militant threats. The Kashmir valley saw meagre voter turnout as the two regional parties, National Conference and People’s Democratic Party, stayed away from the polls.

The result would be announced on October 20.


Last week governor Satya Pal Malik told ET that the silver lining in these elections was that everything went well without any major violence.

“Some people are trying to create disturbences but we have made foolproof security arrangements. Now, we have to ensure safety of candidates who win,” said Malik.

“We thank citizens for helping us in keeping their neighborhood peaceful,” J&K police tweeted.

On Tuesday, Srinagar and Ganderbal districts of central Kashmir recorded 3.9% and and 11.3% voting, respectively. The overall turnout of J&K in all four phases is around 35%. In polling station number 1 in Hazratbal, only seven out of 873 votes were polled. In station 14, not a single vote was cast till 2pm. “These voters came out in the darkness of early morning and left,” a CRPF official posted at Habak polling station in Srinagar told ET. In Rainawari, locals also damaged a makeshift polling station and clashed with the armed forces.

“We don’t want to get ourselves killed and I don’t want to say why I am fighting these elections,” an independent candidate from Srinagar, Sajad Hussain, told ET.

The poll-bound areas observed complete shutdown after a boycott call from the joint Hurriyat leadership.

The government suspended mobile internet in polling areas and also erected barricades at several places for frisking of vehicles.

“Joint resistance leadership deeply appreciates and commends people of Kashmir for the maturity and commitment to the cause of self-determination shown by them in a comprehensive boycott of the election...,” said Mirwaiz, who was kept under house detention.

Municipal polls were last held in the state in 2005.

About 17 lakh electorate are voting in the 2018 civic polling process for 79 municipal bodies. A total of 3,372 nominations were filed for 1,145 wards.