National   

Stray incidents mar phase IV of J&K polls

— Photo: NISSAR AHMAD

BIG PUSH TO DEMOCRACY: A line-up of voters outside a polling station at Pattan, some 35 km from Srinagar, during the elections on Sunday.

Srinagar/Jammu: Defying separatists yet again, voters came out in good numbers in the fourth phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections on Sunday. An estimated 55 per cent turnout has been recorded for 18 seats in four districts amid stray violence.

Braving the winter chill and cocking a snook at the separatists, the electorate in 12 seats in the Kashmir Valley and six in the Jammu region followed the trend of enthusiastic turnout in the previous three phases when there was over 60 per cent voting. There was tight security during the polling.

Sporadic clashes between anti-poll protesters and security forces occurred at a few places while there was a grenade explosion at Sopore, but none was killed. The voting was spread over Baramulla, Udhampur, Budgam and Reasi districts.

Four photojournalists, covering anti-poll protests at Arampora, were allegedly roughed up by security personnel.

Reports of malfunctioning of electronic voting machines at four places in Reasi and Udhampur were reported.

Minutes after the start of polling in Baramulla district, militants exploded a hand grenade on Sopore-Sangrama road but there was no report of loss of life or damage to property.

Gool Arnas, once the operational hub of the militants in lower Pirpanchal ranges, recorded a very high turnout (70 per cent), while Sopore, the home town of Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, had the lowest turnout of 14 per cent.

As per tentative data, 55 per cent electorate in Baramulla, Budgam, Udhampur and Reasi districts cast their votes, Chief Electoral Officer B.R. Sharma said. — PTI

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Election results in 5 States today
Ashok Chavan meets Sonia, Antony
Cars, cement to be cheaper
Pranab decries hoax call
India Inc. hails package, but expects much more
Sonia Gandhi visit: Kerala police on high alert
No real decisions on climate change at Poznan
Tribals call off stir in Paschim Medinipur
EC for probe into assault on journalists
Stray incidents mar phase IV of J&K polls

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu