Jammu, December 13: Braving severe cold and dense fog on Sunday, a total of 51.51 per cent of the 7.48 lakh electors cast their vote during 6th phase of the maiden District Development Council polls in Jammu and Kashmir.
The polling was 68.56 per cent in Jammu and 32.55 per cent in Kashmir, said UT’s State Election Commissioner K K Sharma, adding the record 76.78 per cent polling took place in Poonch district’s Balakote area which had been witness to intense mortar Lshelling by Pakistani troops the previous night.
The polling started at 7 am and it was brisk in Jammu since the beginning. There were long queues of people waiting for their turn to cast vote at almost all the places.
Such had been the enthusiasm that a 93 year old Nanki Devi cast her vote in first two hours of polling at a polling station Kattal Gujjran in Hiranagar tehsil of Kathua ditrict.
In Jammu division, border Rajouri district recorded 74.03 per cent polling followed by Reasi 74.02, Udhampur 72.04, Ramban 71.34, Samba 70.01, Jammu 66.32, Doda 62.93, and Kathua 60.95.
In Kashmir, Shopian recorded the lowest 4.60 per cent polling, followed by Pulwama (8.16),
Anantnag (24.06), Budgam (30.99), Baramulla (34.56), Kulgam (37.74), Bandipora (47.66), Kupwara (51.08) and Ganderbal (58.45).
Thirty one DDC constituencies including 14 in Kashmir and 17 in Jammu had gone to polls during the VIth phase. No constituency on Stinagar and in Kishtwar district went to polls today, Sharma said.
For smooth conduct of elections, the Election Commission had set up 2071 polling stations including 1208 in Kashmir division and 863 in Jammu division.