Jammu and Kashmir civic polls: Bleak voter turnout seen in urban local body elections in the Valley; Kargil records 73.6% voting

Juxtaposing the polling pattern in the two regions of Jammu and Kashmir in the state going by the same name on Monday provided an emphatic picture of contrast. While poll booths in Jammu saw voters enthusiastically participating in the electoral exercise for forming new civic bodies, most of their counterparts Kashmir preferred to stay away from the voting kiosks owing to threats from terrorists and separatists despite the extraordinary security cover provided by thousands of security personnel.

Notwithstanding the zest shown by voters in Jammu to vote, the indifference in Kashmir towards the democratic process ensured that the voter turnout was a poor one in the urban local body elections when calculated for the whole state in its entirety. About six percent of the electorate voted in the first six hours of polling in 83 wards of urban local bodies in militancy-wracked Kashmir Valley, where elections are being held amid tight security, officials said. Voting for the first of the four-phased elections in the Valley began at 7 am and ended at 4 pm.

Polling was brisker in north Kashmir with more than 29 percent of 4,700 voters casting their votes in the first two hours for Kupwara Municipal Committee, followed by 21 percent in Handwara town, the official said. The poll percentage in Bandipora, Baramulla, Anantnag and Budgam municipal areas was around five percent. Polling is being held for only 83 wards in the Valley as 69 wards have been won uncontested. Of the 150 polling stations in the Kashmir division, 138 are categorised hypersensitive.

Brisk voting was seen in almost all the wards in Jammu region with Rajouri registering the highest votes while Srinagar in the Valley saw the lowest as a shutdown-call led to subdued polling in the municipal elections that are taking place after 13 years in Jammu and Kashmir.

Amid tight security, long queues of enthusiastic voters were seen in almost all the municipal corporation and municipal committee wards in Jammu district where 34 percent polling was recorded in five hours, as Rajouri registered 55 percent and Poonch 47. Voting continued peacefully in Gandhi Nagar, RS Pura, Bishnah, Arnia, Khour, Jurian, Akhnoor, Nowshera, Surankote and Kalakote areas and many other wards. Srinagar registered the lowest count of 3.5 percent in five hours since polling began at 7 am. In the three Srinagar municipal corporation wards of Humhama, Bagh-e-Mehtab and Hamdania colony, 1,001 votes were polled till 11.30 am.

In the Ladakh region where biting cold had kept early voters away, saw the process pick up and Kargil district registered 3,470 votes while Leh had 3,164 votes till 11.30 am.

A presiding officer was suspended at the Aloosa polling station in Bandipora district for allowing a woman to accompany a voter to the voting counter. Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh said no restrictions have been imposed anywhere in the valley although security has been tightened to provide a free and fair environment. No militancy related incident has been reported from anywhere in the valley so far. A mock poll has been conducted at all 584 polling stations. There were defaults in EVMs at four places. Those EVMs were immediately replaced.

This time, a large number of independent candidates are also in the fray. This municipal election is also witnessing two significant firsts. In a major development, Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are being used for the first time in accordance with the rules that have been amended in 2016. In another first, the ECI is providing voting facilities to Kashmiri migrants by means of postal ballots. Since the migrants continue to be enrolled in their respective assembly constituencies from which the municipal committees or panchayats would derive the rolls, facilities will be provided for them to vote.

The urban local body polls were announced in September. Two major political parties — the National Conference and the PDP — have boycotted the elections accusing the Centre of not taking a firm stand on the protection of Article 35A of the Constitution, which is facing a legal challenge in the Supreme Court.

Militants have issued threats to anyone participating in these polls, resulting in absence of any campaigning by the candidates. Two National Conference workers were killed last week. In dozens of wards, especially in south Kashmir, no candidate filed nomination papers. Candidates who are contesting have been moved to safe locations and their details have not been made public. All candidates have been provided with either cluster security in hotels or individually in the Valley. In the wake of the polls, mobile internet services have been suspended in South Kashmir, while mobile internet speed has been reduced to 2G in other parts of the Valley.

Around 85,000 voters, including 40,800 women, are eligible to vote in the Valley. Of the 30,074 voters in three wards of Srinagar Municipal Corporation, 1,500 turned up to exercise their franchise at the heavily fortified polling stations. Elections are being held in 422 of the state’s 1,145 municipal wards. As many as 1,204 candidates are in the fray for the four-phased municipal polls that will end on 16 October. Counting of votes will take place on 20 October.

With inputs from agencies