J&K panchayat polls fifth phase: Jammu records over 61 percent polling till noon; Kupwara tops turnout chart in Kashmir

Jammu: Kashmir recorded over 19 percent polling while Jammu registered more than 61 percent voting till noon in the fifth phase of the Jammu and Kashmir panchayat elections Thursday, officials said. The polling began at 8 am and ended at 2 pm in 2,512 polling stations, including 1,743 stations in Jammu division and 769 in Kashmir division, they said. Poonch district in Jammu region recorded the highest polling of 72 percent, while Pulwama district in central Kashmir recorded the lowest at 0.2 percent, the officials said. Among other districts of Jammu division, Ramban, Rajouri and Udhampur witnessed 63.9, 60.4 and 60.3 percent polling, respectively. It was followed by Jammu 59.1, Reasi 56.2 and Doda 55.9. In Kashmir division, Kupwara district topped the turnout chart with 30.7 percent, followed by Bandipora with 30 percent, Badgam 29.8 percent, Baramulla 26.1 percent, Ganderbal 13.2 percent and Anantnag with 6.7 percent, they said. [caption id=“attachment_5641561” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Voters stand in a queue at a polling station during the fifth phase of the panchayat elections at Aghore village, in Jammu. PTI[/caption] About 848 polling stations have been categorised as ‘hypersensitive’, including 755 in Kashmir division and 93 in Jammu division. He said 4,763 candidates are in the fray for 309 sarpanch and 1,534 panch seats in the fifth phase, while 118 sarpanchs and 1,046 panchs have been elected unopposed. In the areas going to polls on Thursday, an electorate of 4,04,283 will be voting for sarpanch constituencies and 2,70,295 for panch constituencies, Kabra said. In the first phase of the panchayat polls held on 17 November, an estimated 74.1 percent polling was recorded across the state, including 64.5 percent in Kashmir division and 79.4 percent in Jammu division. In the second phase held on 20 November, overall 71.1 percent polling was witnessed across the state with an overwhelming 80.4 percent polling in Jammu division and 52.2 percent in Kashmir division. In the third phase, the state witnessed a polling percentage of 75.2 per cent which included 55.7 per cent in Kashmir division and 83.0 percent in Jammu division. In the fourth phase, the state witnessed a polling percentage of 71.3 per cent, including 82.4 percent polling in Jammu division and 32.3 percent in Kashmir division. The results of all the phases have been announced by the respective returning officers, Kabra said.