Srinagar: The voting for the penultimate phase of the Urban local body polls started on a dull note with Srinagar recording 0.4 percent and Anantnag 1.3 percent turnout in first two hours of voting on Saturday.
Officials said that Baramulla district recorded 9.2 per cent voter turnout while Samba district in Jammu had 16.8 percent voting from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m.
365 candidates are in fray in the penultimate of the four-phased elections which began on October 8 and end on October 16.
In the first two phases polls, a majority of people stayed away from polling booths in Kashmir Valley for where the turnout was at 8.3 per cent only in first phase while phase-II witnessed meager 3.4 percent voting.
Polling in both the phases was by and large peaceful in the four-phase election to urban local bodies, which has been boycotted by two main regional parties – the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Of the 44 wards going to polls on Saturday, 20 fall in Srinagar city’s downtown area, where the voter turnout has been generally low since the eruption of militancy in the state in 1989.
The wards in downtown city going to polls are Khanqah-e-Mualla, Maharajgunj, Jamia Masjid, Makhdoom Sahib, Khwaja Bazaar, Aqilmir Khanyar, Rozabal, Daulatabad, Islamyarbal, Nawab Bazaar, Nawa Kadal, Safakadal, Rathpora, Edigah, Palpora and Tarabal.
Ten other wards in the civil lines area of the city, where polling will be held on Saturday, are Lal Chowk, Rajbagh, Ikhrajpora, Mehjoor Nagar, Natipora, Chanapora, Budshah Nagar, Baghat Barzulla, Hyderpora and Rawalpora.
The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), J&K, Shaleen Kabra said 365 candidates are in the fray for 96 wards of 8 Urban Local Bodies.
The CEO said that Basic Minimum Facilities (BMF) have been ensured in all the polling stations across the State for voting. He said Photo Voter Slips have already been distributed among the voters to inform them of their polling station.
The Municipal Elections are being held in four phases, covering 79 municipal bodies with an electorate of about 17 lakh electors. A total of 3372 nominations have been filed for 1145 wards.
