Uri and Samba record higher polling, with overall percentage being 16.4% in the 3rd phase
Srinagar lived up to its image of 'boycott city' even as the border towns of Uri and Samba recorded heavy voter turnout, pushing the overall poll percentage to 16.4 per cent in the third phase of Urban Local Bodies (ULB) elections in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Jammu and Kashmir, Shaleen Kabra said 82 per cent polling was witnessed in the four ULBs of district Samba in Jammu division, while Kashmir division witnessed average 3.5 per cent polling with Municipal Committee Uri recording the highest voting of 75.3 per cent.
"The lowest poll percentage of 1.8 per cent was recorded in Srinagar. In Jammu division, the highest polling percentage of 85.73 per cent was recorded in Bari Brahamana ULB," he said.
The cumulative poll percentage in all the three phases till date is 41.9 per cent in the state. Jammu division recorded the highest voting with 68 per cent, while Kashmir division witnessed 6.7 per cent in all the three phases.
"365 candidates were in the fray for 96 wards of eight Urban Local Bodies for the third phase comprising a total electorate of 1,93,990 electors. Due to non-replacement of EVMs in time, repoll shall be held at polling station of Bachidarwaza of Makhdoom Sahab in Ward Number 41 on October 16," he said.
This is the third consecutive time when overall polling has dipped in the state. Overall turnout in the second phase of ULB polls was 31.3 per cent with Kashmir witnessing the lowest turnout of 3.4 percent. Around 56.7 per cent turnout was recorded across Jammu and Kashmir with the Valley recording the lowest turnout of 8.3 per cent in the first phase of polling.
Srinagar lived up to its image of a city that follows separatists' boycott calls. There were several polling booths where there was zero polling in the city. In Ward No. 40, Saifudinpora, no votes out of the electorate of 366 was polled till 1 pm. However, there was brisk polling in Ward No. 41 where 157 out of 751 votes were polled in Tujgari Moholla till 1 pm.
"ULB elections are being held after thirteen years and the process could have waited until the government of India cleared its stand on the state's special status and protect it in the Supreme Court. But to our surprise, the government didn't rise up to the occasion and superimposed the elections on the state", said Sheikh Mustafa Kamal, Additional General Secretary of National Conference.
‘Elections Superimposed’
“ULB elections are being held after thirteen years and the process could have waited until the government of India cleared its stand on the state’s special status and protect it in the Supreme Court. But to our surprise, the government didn’t rise up to the occasion and superimposed the elections on the state,” said Sheikh Mustafa Kamal, Additional General Secretary of NC
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