The first phase of polling took place on October 8, followed by the second phase on October 10, third phase on October 13 and last phase on October 16.
The counting of votes for 52 civic bodies will be held across Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday and the results are likely to be declared on the same day. The polls were held in four phases amid tight security arrangements covering 79 municipal bodies with an electorate of about 17 lakhs.
A total of 3372 nominations were filed for 1145 wards where elections were held in four phases. Out of 79 civic bodies, no voting was held in 27 civic bodies in the Valley either because there was no candidate or only one candidate had filed nominations for a particular ward.
The maximum voter turnout was recorded in the first phase in Jammu and Kashmir (56.7 per cent), while least voter turnout was registered during the fourth phase (4.2 per cent). The voting percentage in militancy-hit Kashmir region with some polling booths recording votes in single digits.
The first phase of polling took place on October 8, followed by the second phase on October 10, third phase on October 13 and last phase on October 16.
The elections were held in the state in the backdrop of resurgence in terror related violence and threats to use acid against candidates participating in the polls.
Militants killed two National Conference workers and issued threats to anyone participating in these polls, resulting in absence of any campaigning by candidates. In dozens of wards especially in south Kashmir, no candidate filed nomination papers for polls.
The contest is between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as two mainstream state parties -- National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party -- boycotted the elections over the challenge to the validity of Article 35-A of the Constitution.
As many as 2,990 candidates are in the fray for the four-phased urban local bodies (ULB) polls in Jammu and Kashmir. As many as 244 candidates have been elected unopposed, majority of them from Kashmir valley where candidates braved militant threats to take part in the democratic exercise.
As many as 3,372 candidates filed their nominations for the four-phased elections. The last election to the municipal bodies in the state was held in 2005 through secret ballot and the term of five years expired in February 2010.
An official said 231 candidates were elected unopposed in Kashmir and 13 in Jammu region. Two wards, one each in Kulgam and Pulwama districts of south Kashmir, did not attract any nomination apparently due to the militant threat, even as the police have arrested about 500 OGWs over the past one week across Kashmir as part of the security plan to ensure free and fair elections, officials said.
There are 16,97,291 eligible voters in the 1,145 wards across the state. Kashmir valley has the highest number of wards with 598 and an electorate of 10,32,498, while Jammu province has 521 wards with 6,44,568 voters. Ladakh region has 26 wards with electorate of 20,225.
In the first phase, 1,283 candidates were in the fray with 1,010 from Jammu, 207 from Kashmir and 66 from Ladakh for 422 wards (247 in Jammu, 149 in Kashmir, 26 in Ladakh), the official said.
For the second phase, 1,094 contestants filed nominations in 218 wards in Jammu region and 166 wards in Kashmir valley, the official said, adding that 61 candidates got elected unopposed in this phase.
In the third phase, a total of 411 candidates - 242 in 56 wards of Jammu province and 169 in 151 wards of Kashmir valley -filed nominations. 49 candidates got elected unopposed in this phase.
Similarly, 202 candidates were in the fray for the fourth and final phase under which are 132 wards. Fifty two candidates were elected unopposed in this phase.
Out of the total 1,145 wards of municipality and local bodies, 90 wards have been reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) and 38 for Scheduled Tribes (ST), which include 31 and 13 wards reserved for SC and ST women respectively.
(With agencies)
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