SRINAGAR: The municipal polls held amid a boycott call ended at 4 pm with people mostly staying off the polling booths in Kashmir valley and queuing up in Jammu region of the state.
Polling percentage at the end of voting at 4 PM:
5:45 PM: Srinagar recorded 6.2 per cent polling; Baramulla 5.1 per cent; Jammu district: 63.83; Kargil 78.2; Leh 55.2: Poonch 73.1; Rajouri 81 per cent
5:30 PM: 109 votes polled out of 642 in Budgam at the end of voting at 4 pm (17 per cent)
4:30 PM: 32.30 per cent votes polled in Kupwara till 4 pm; 3.38 per cent votes polled in Bandipora till 4 pm
4:20 PM: 119 votes polled out of total 1662 in four wards of Kokernag as voting ends at 4 pm (7.16 per cent)
Amid tight security, polling was brisk in the Jammu region where an official said that Rajouri district recorded 81 per cent of voter turnout and Poonch 73.1 per cent. Voting began at 7 a.m.
Long queues of enthusiastic voters were seen in almost all the municipal corporation and committee wards in Jammu district.
Voting took place peacefully in Gandhi Nagar, R.S. Pura, Bishnah, Arnia, Khour, Jurian, Akhnoor, Nowshera, Surankote and Kalakote areas and other wards.
But the story in the Kashmir Valley was starkly different, with most voters keeping away from the balloting centres amid a separatist-called shutdown.
Poll Percentage at 3 pm as released by Chief Electoral Officer J&K
Jammu District: 59%
Poonch: 72%
Rajouri: 78%
Jammu region total percentage – 61%
Kashmir region – 17.5%
Here is the voter percentage till 1 pm:
Anantnag (6.1%), Budgam (12%), Bandipora (2.5%), Baramulla (3.7%), Kupwara (26.3%), Srinagar (5.1%), Leh (44.2%), Kargil (73.6%), Jammu (43.4%), Poonch (63.5%), Rajouri (67.7%).
1:45 PM: Voting percentage till 1 am is 29.23 and 21.45 per cent in Kupwara and Handwara respectively
1:32 PM: Total 964 out of 26149 votes polled in Baramulla until 1 pm. Voting percentage: 3.69%.
419 votes polled in Bandipora until 1 pm. Voting percentage: 2.47%
12: 30 PM: Official voter turnout percentage till 11 am:
Anantnag (5%), Budgam (3%), Bandipora (2%), Baramulla (3%), Kupwara (18%), Srinagar (3.5%), Leh (26%), Kargil (33%), Jammu (34%), Poonch (47%), Rajouri (55%).
11:05 AM: Over 15 per cent votes polled in Kupwara
10: 50 AM: 18 votes polled till 10:30 am in Budgam
10:30 AM: 1.39 per cent voted polled till 10 am in Bandipora. Giving a gender-wise breakup, an official said that 173 males and 87 females exercised their franchise.
10 AM: 15 per cent votes polled in Jammu Municipal Corporation until 9 am.
9:25 AM: 189 votes (1.10%) cast in Bandipora municipal committee till 9 am
9:30 AM: 218 votes (0.83 %) cast in nine wards of Baramulla until 9 am
8:30 AM: 48 votes were cast in 13 wards of Bandipora municipal committee in the first hour
8:40 AM: 56 votes were cast at ten polling booths so far in Baramulla town. Five booths witnessed zero polling
Two main regional parties, the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have boycotted the polls. Separatist leaders have also called for the boycott of the polls.
422 of 1145 wards are going to polls in the first phase of the municipal elections today. Voting began at 7 am today in the districts of Anantnag (4 wards), Budgam (1 ward), Bandipora (16 wards), Baramulla (15), Jammu (153), Kargil (13), Kupwara (18), Leh (13), Poonch (26), Rajouri (59) and Srinagar (3 wards).
Unprecedented security arrangements have been put in place by the state authorities and the election commission, to ensure peaceful polls. Also, all candidates have been provided with either cluster security in hotels or individually in the Valley.
The polling began to start at 7 AM and will culminate at 4 PM later today.
According to the Election Commission, a total of 1283 candidates will be contesting in the 422 municipal wards today.
The counting of votes will be done on October 20.