By ovais gull
Srinagar: For the first of its kind, the media persons affiliated with different organizations were not allowed to gather details inside the polling stations, thus throwing the authorization by the Chief Election Officer (CEO) into the dustbin.
The media persons at several places out of 35 polling stations were not allowed to gather the details by the government forces, claiming that they have been directing not to allow the journalists to enter into the polling stations.
This reporter was barred from entering in polling booths at several places including Humhama where the polling station was set in a government school.
In Bagh-e-Mehtab, the forces deployed outside the polling stations also didn’t allow the media persons to enter inside the polling booth, which was arranged at a community hall there.
The government forces including Jammu and Kashmir Police didn’t allow the media persons to enter into the polling stations.
They however provided verbal details with regard to the total number of votes polled but didn’t allow them to enter into the polling booths.
However, barring the media persons to enter into the polling stations was against the orders of CEO Jammu and Kashmir who has clearly allowed the entry and r-entry of the media persons inside the polling stations.
The Urban Local Bodies polls that commenced from today will be conducted in four phases in the state. At least 1204 candidates were in a fray for the first phase while as eight candidates were contesting from three wards of Srinagar today.
The ULB elections in the Valley began amid tight security arrangements.
Police in this afternoon tweeted that the elections in the Valley are going on smoothly.
