The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Wednesday, September 25, 2002, Chandigarh, India

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42 pc turnout in J&K phase II poll
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, September 24
Amid unprecedented security arrangements, polling in 15 Assembly segments of Srinagar and Budgam districts in central Kashmir that went to the poll in the second phase went off peacefully today. The polling that witnessed the lowest ever turnout in the Habbakadal constituency was held amid a general strike called by the separatist Hurriyat Conference.

Describing the day’s polling as “peaceful and quite smooth”, the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer, Mr Pramod Jain, put the overall poll percentage at 42 in all 28 Assembly segments in Jammu, Srinagar and Budgam districts. Jammu recorded the highest of 59 per cent, followed by 51 per cent in Budgam district and 11 per cent in Srinagar district. Less than 1 per cent voting was reported from the Habbakadal constituency in Srinagar.

A grenade explosion was caused by suspected militants in the Hazratbal area near a polling station at Hazratbal. The Chief Electoral Officer said no damage was caused in the explosion which took place on the premises of a bank close to the polling station, after the polling was over.

Two minor incidents of clashes between rival political groups have been reported from Jammu district in which at least six persons were injured, the Chief Electoral Officer said. The polling has been adjourned at two polling stations in the Kaluchak and Samba areas of Jammu district.

There are 263 candidates in 28 Assembly constituencies in Jammu, Srinagar and Budgam districts, with an electorate of 21.82 lakh.

The highest poll percentage of 59 per cent has been registered at the Chrar-e-Sharief constituency of Budgam district, where the ruling National Conference candidate and the Finance Minister, Mr Abdul Rahim Rather, is pitted against three other candidates.

In Jammu district, the highest 70 per cent poll was recorded from the Chhamb constituency, while the lowest of 44 per cent was recorded in Jammu West.

M.L. Kak and S.P. Sharma add from Jammu: Polling in the 13 Assembly constituencies in Jammu district saw enthusiastic participation by voters who had turned up at the polling stations in full strength today.

Notwithstanding sporadic firing from across the Akhnoor and R.S. Pora sectors by Pak troops, the border constituencies witnessed a heavier turnover than those in the winter capital which has three constituencies. According to the DIG, BSF, Mr P.J. Sebstian, the international border from Akhnoor to Kathua remained calm and Pakistani troops fired hardly 30 to 50 rounds from small arms last night.

Since the polling timings had been advanced from 7 am to 4 pm, the voters had lined up early in the morning and by 10 am 230 voters out of 532 had cast their votes at the Agricultural University Research station polling centre in R.S. Pora. It was the most peaceful booth and when The Tribune team visited the station, it found polling officers waiting for the voters whereas in the rest of the booths, the voters were waiting for their turn to cast their votes.

Though the first hour of polling was slightly dull, it picked up within the next two hours. In two polling booths at Bari Brahmna and Jakh, out of 2,479 votes 122 votes had been cast during the first hour and this was the case at other polling stations in the Vijaypur constituency.

In the Samba constituency, polling was suspended in booth No 39 when the voters detected a defect in the electronic voting machine. It was around 8.50 am when over 300 voters within the premises of the polling station held a demonstration and shouted anti-government slogans. One voter, Pawan Kumar, told TNS that “we detected that pressing any button would give the vote in favour of the NC candidate. We lodge a protest with the polling officer.” The fault was later rectified and polling resumed without any trouble.