M A I N   N E W S

Heavy polling in Poonch, Rajouri
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Jan 15 — In the first phase of the eight-phase panchayat election in Jammu and Kashmir, districts of Poonch and Rajouri witnessed heavy polling today. These elections are being held in the state after over 23 years.

Long queues of men and women were seen outside polling stations. Official reports said in the Mendhar block of Poonch, 68 per cent polling was recorded and in the blocks of Balakot, Sunderbani, Kalakot and Nowshehra, the polling percentage was 65, 84, 75 and 87, respectively.

The reports said militants had issued veiled threats to people but no untoward incident had been reported.

In the border district of Kupwara, which otherwise is a militant-infested area, the polling percentage was over 78.

Over 75 per cent voters exercised their franchise in the three blocks of Kupwara district.

Several militant groups had threatened to disrupt the elections and the All-Party Hurriyat Conference had called for a boycott of the elections.

In all, Tangdhar and Teetwal blocks of Kupwara district witnessed 70 per cent polling while in the Keran area of Kralpora block the polling was recorded at 85 per cent, an official spokesman stated here this evening. The three blocks where the polling was held today has an electorate of 50,272.

Today’s polling was held to elect 23 sarpanches and 138 panches at 114 polling stations where over 500 polling officers were deployed on duty amid tight security arrangements.

One polling booth, according to officials here, was only about 100 metres away from the LoC.

The second phase of elections in Kupwara district would be held on January 17 and January 19.

Meanwhile, a UNI report from Srinagar said the Kashmir division of the Information Department remained silent on the elections as not a single word was issued to mediapersons till this afternoon.

The All-Party Hurriyat Conference and other militant organisations had asked people to boycott the elections and had directed government employees to keep away from the election exercise.

However, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah had said the government was firm on transferring power to the grassroots level to ensure people’s participation in development activities.