Phase 8 registers 51 percent voting: SEC
Says police, Central forces deserve special praise
Srinagar: The eight and the final phase of the District Development Council (DDC) elections concluded on Saturday with more than 50% of the voters coming out to cast their votes.
A total of 28 DDC constituencies went for polls today including 13 seats from Kashmir division and 15 from Jammu division with 168 candidates contesting the last leg of the elections.
State Election Commissioner (SEC) K K Sharma said that the eighth phase, which was the last phase of, DDC Polls in J&K, recorded 51 percent voting while as no law and order incident was reported anywhere in the UT.
Addressing reporters in Srinagar, Sharma said that the last phase was smooth and successful while as no law and order incident was reported anywhere.
“Today, we recorded 50.98 percent voting for the phase 8, the last phase of DDC polls. With this phase, all eight phases have concluded. In today’s polling, Jammu recorded 72.71 percent voting while Kashmir registered 29.91 percent polling,” Sharma said.
He said that DDC polls was a massive process that concluded successfully and that the police and Central forces deserve special praises for ensuring smooth, free and fair elections.
Sharma said that there were a few minor incidents but none of them impacted the polling process.
In the last phase held today, 321694 voters cast their votes of which 225828 voters exercised right to franchise in Jammu while as 95, 866 voters voted in Kashmir region. “Polling was held for 28 DDC constituencies in J&K of which 15 went to polls in Jammu region and 13 in Kashmir,” the SEC said.
He said that in the last phase of DDC polls, Kupwara topped with the highest voting percentage of 63.8 percent in Kashmir and Poonch with 83.58 percent in Jammu region.
The SEC said that a large number of voters came out to vote. “Weather has been good but Kashmir areas are freezing. Despite that large number of people exercised their right to vote,” he said.
Asked about whether there would be re-polling at some places, he was said that re-poling has been ordered at eight polling stations including four at Poshana in Jammu region, where poling was held today.
“Political parties have accepted that poling has gone smooth across the J&K,” he said, adding that if any political leader, or a candidate has any doubt, he/she has the right to make an appeal. “CCTVs and other evidences will be shown to them if they contest that polling had gone wrong anywhere,” he said.
Besides Police and the Central forces including Paramilitary CRPF, health officials, private people, Asha workers and polling staff that include government employees for making the DDC polls smooth, free and fair process. Asked whether SEC would take a call on Assembly polls, he said that the final call on holding Assembly elections will be taken by the Election Commission of India (ECI), which is a constitutional body. “Assembly polls will happen one day,” he said.
