M A I N   N E W S

Polling satisfactory, says EC
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 16
The Election Commission (EC) today expressed satisfaction over the voter-turnout in the first phase of elections in Jammu and Kashmir in which polling was held in 23 Assembly constituencies spread over five districts.

“There was an average overall voter-turnout of 44 per cent.... We are very satisfied,” Deputy Election Commissioner Sayan Chatterjee told newspersons here today.

Apart from a large number of mediapersons from across the world, 16 diplomats from various countries were witness to the first phase of polling, he said.

Giving details about the first phase of polling in Poonch, Rajouri, Kargil, Baramula and Kupwara districts, Mr Chatterjee said the commission had decided to have repolling in one polling station each at Pattan in Baramula district and Mendhar in Poonch district.

While repolling will be held at Pattan due to Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) failure, repolling at Mendhar will be held due to damage caused to EVMs by some miscreants, he said.

While a maximum of 67 per cent of polling was recorded in Kargil, 48 per cent was recorded in Poonch, 47 per cent in Rajouri, 40 per cent in Kupwara and 37 per cent in Baramula, Mr Chatterjee said. The lowest turnout was recorded in the Sopore Assembly segment with just 3 to 5 per cent voter turnout and the highest turnout of 65 per cent was recorded at Gurez.

About the turnout in Delhi, where two special polling centres were set up to facilitate Kashmiri migrants to cast their votes, Mr Chatterjee said of the 55 persons, who had registered their names, only 14 persons had cast their votes.

Giving details about the turnout at the special booths for the Kashmiri migrants in Jammu and Udhampur, the Deputy Election Commissioner said out of 4,189 registered voters in Jammu, 1,643 voters cast their franchise, and in Udhampur out of 321 registered voters, only 13 cast their votes.

PM satisfied over poll

Zurich, September 16
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today voiced satisfaction over the peaceful conduct of the first phase of Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, saying it was free and fair with a reasonably good turnout.

There was no rigging and the first phase passed off peacefully despite the recent killings, infiltration of militants and threats by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists, the Governor told the Prime Minister, the sources said. PTI