"Over 5,400 voters have exercised their franchise till 1.00 pm at the 150 polling stations set up in the 83 wards across the Kashmir Valley where polling is going on today," the official said.
In dozens of wards especially in south Kashmir, no candidate has filed nomination papers for polls.
Srinagar: Baramulla:The first phase of local body elections in Jammu and Kashmir, conducted after a gap of 13 years, saw just 8.3% voting in the Valley amid boycott call and militant threats while Jammu and Ladakh regions recorded high polling.
With the state witnessing overall 56.7% voting, 62.1% polling was recorded in Ladakh and 63.83% in Jammu division — the highest turnout.
In north Kashmir’s Kupwara and Handwara, considered to be the stronghold of People’s Conference chief Sajad Lone — an ally of the BJP — recorded the highest polling of 36.6% and 27.8% respectively.
Lone, after voting in Handwara, said that the boycott was a futile exercise. He also mocked the National Conference and People’s Democratic Party for boycotting the local body and panchayat elections. “The boycott and dissent remains half-baked and farcical when the same political parties continue to occupy posts of legislators and parliamentarians and continue to enjoy the perks of office. They can resign from their posts. They can refuse salary,” Lone told reporters.
At a few polling stations across Valley, not even a single vote was cast while at many polling stations, just one vote was cast. With Hurriyat’s boycott call and mili-tant threat, candidates didn’t disclose their identity at many places and voters were refusing to click pictures or even talk to media.
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“We have been waiting here for the whole day but nobody turned up,” said an official posted in a polling station in Baramulla. In Handwara and Kupwara, many voters refusing to reveal their identities claiming they came out to vote because their friends or relatives were contesting.
Election Commission data said that out of 10,4916 voters in Kashmir and Ladakh, only 19,609 voted while in Jammu, out of 4,41,635 voters, 2,81,889 voted.
Leh administration has decided that for next three phases, voting will start at 6 am .
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The Valley observed complete shutdown to protest against the polls on a call given by the joint Hurriyat leadership.
