Jammu voting at 76%, Kashmir sees 3% turnout

Srinagar: The second phase of the municipal body elections in Jammu & Kashmir saw an all-too familiar picture of just 3.1% turnout with Sumbal in north Kashmir being the exception with a turnout of 36%. The Jammu region, as usual, witnessed a brisk turnout of over 76%.

The Chief Electoral Officer of J&K, Shaleen Kabra, said that an overall 30% polling was witnessed in the second phase of municipal polls across the state.

In Jammu division, 76% polling was recorded in 214 wards that went to polls on Wednesday, while the Kashmir division witnessed an average 3% polling in 49 w a r d s w i t h Bandipora recording the highest -- 36% voting.


The Reasi area of Jammu recorded the highest 84.6%.

The election remained a low-key affair in the Valley amid boycott calls from joint Hurriyat leadership of Syed Ali Geelani Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Yasin Malik, besides militant threats against participation in the electoral process. Seven out of 12 municipal bodies in Kashmir had no elections because 61 candidates had won uncontested and 56 areas remained vacant as nobody filed nomination papers.

“We have come out to vote as every political party has disappointed us till now. We want to elect one among us now who can construct a simple road in a village and give us the benefits of government schemes,” said a voter of Inderkoot area in Sumbal.