Voting for 37 seats underway in fifth phase of Jammu and Kashmir DDC polls

Srinagar: Polling for the fifth phase of the District Development Council (DDC) elections in Jammu and Kashmir began on a dull note as winter chill kept most people indoors early on Thursday, officials said. The polling for 37 DDC seats - 17 in the Kashmir division and 20 in the Jammu division - began at 7 am but few people turned up at polling stations in the valley due to freezing weather conditions, they said. According to the officials, voter turnout is expected to pick up later in the day. The polling is scheduled to conclude at 2 pm. A total of 155 candidates, including 30 females, are in the fray for 17 DDC constituencies in the Kashmir division. In the Jammu division, 144 candidates, including 40 females, are in the fray for 20 constituencies. Polling is also being held for panch and sarpanch vacancies notified in the fifth phase. In this phase, 8,27,519 electors, including 4,33,285 males and 3,94,234 females, are eligible to cast their votes. As many as 2,104 polling stations have been setup across the union territory - 914 in the Jammu division and 1,190 in the Kashmir division. Of these polling stations, 1,193 are hypersensitive, 472 are sensitive and 439 have been categorised as normal.