49% vote in J&K’s DDC elections 2nd phase

The second phase of Jammu and Kashmir’s first ever District Development Council (DDC) elections recorded around 49 per cent voter turnout on Monday.

J&K’s state election commissioner K.K. Sharma, while addressing a press conference here said that like the first one, the second phase of DDC elections has been conducted “successfully” with 48.62 per cent of the electorate using their right of vote in 43 constituencies.

“The polling has been peaceful in all 43 constituencies, having a of total of 3,77,401 voters including 2,01,792 male and 1,75,609 female,” he said.

He also said that Jammu division recorded an average voter turnout of 65.54 per cent with frontier district of Poonch registering the highest percentage of

75.07 per cent followed by Jammu district with 69.97 percent.

The lowest turnout in Jammu division was in Kathua, another border district, which recorded

60.10 per cent.

The Kashmir division recorded 33.34 per cent voter turnout with Bandipora district recording highest polling at 69.66 per cent followed by

Kupwara district at 58.69 per cent and Ganderbal with around 49.14 per cent polling in the second phase of elections.

The lowest turnout of 8.67 per cent was reported from Pulwama district, the hotbed of insurgency.

There are total 280 constituencies in J&K (14 in each district) for the DDC polls which, the authorities say, will pave the way for taking the governance down to grassroots level.

Meanwhile, the J&K administration on Monday placed its seven officials under suspension for alleged dereliction of election duties till further orders.

The officials in question had failed to report on poll duties in the second phase of DDC elections in Beerwah area of central district of Budgam, an official spokesman said here.