Only 2% voting in Srinagar re-poll

SRINAGAR:The 38 polling stations of the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency where re-polling was held on Thursday saw a mere 2% turnout.

An election official said, “Only 709 of the 34,169 voters exercised their franchise across all 38 polling stations.” The overall percentage in the entire constituency now stands at 7.13%.

Unlike the bypolls that were held on Sunday, the situation on Thursday was largely peaceful. Hundreds of security personnel were seen guarding empty polling stations. Most of the polling staff acknowledged that “high security cover has helped maintain peace”.

Barring a couple of minor incidents of stone-pelting, the re-polling passed by peacefully, officials said. Two incidents of stone-pelting were reported from Soibugh and Nasrullahpora areas of Budgam district but the miscreants were chased away by the security forces, an official said.

Chief electoral officer of J&K, Shantmanu said the polling was all-time low but it was “absolutely incident-free and no untoward incident took place”.

The turnout is much lower, even in comparison with the 7.1% votes cast in rest of the Srinagar constituency on Sunday.

The Election Commission had ordered re-poll in 38 booths as large-scale violence was reported from these areas. On Sunday, in most places polling stations were attacked and EVM machines broken. The violence that broke out also claimed eight lives besides injuring many.

No votes were polled in Khansahib assembly segment while only three votes were cast in Budgam segment and 84 in Chrar- e-Sharief segment, election official said. Beerwah segment saw a turnout of 362 voters and Chadoora saw 261 voters.

At least 50 additional companies of CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir police were put in place to protect the poll-bound areas.

Section 144 was also imposed in other areas in the vicinity putting a ban on gathering of more than four persons at a place.

Counting of votes will be undertaken on April 15.