Tuesday,
November
18,
2008, Chandigarh, India
Updated at 3:00 am (IST)
Ignoring
boycott call, Kashmiris line up to vote in first phase
55% polling, Poonch hits
63% Srinagar, November 17
Barring some incidents of
violence in some pockets and lack of information from remote
and inaccessible areas, 55 per cent of total eligible voters
cast their votes in 10 assembly constituencies in the first
phase of elections in Jammu and Kashmir today.
Kashmiri Muslims at a Bandipora polling station, 70 km off Srinagar.
— Tribune photo by Amin War
Former
militants choose path of democracy The first phase of
polling held in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir today saw
people reject the gun and express their faith in the
democratic process. Not only did people from the three
constituencies of Surankote, Poonch and Mendhar (that went to
poll today) defy the militant dictate for a boycott, but many
former militants actively participated in the poll process and
caste their votes in hope for a brighter future.
Big underage
turnout Elections in the
valley have always been interesting to watch. So they were all
this day — throwing up new trends, new images, and several
new voters. The last category — made up of school students
— was in fact the big find of the day, and the most vital as
well.
Jammu &
Kashmir Local affiliations bring
voters out in Sonawari Sonawari, November 17
The first polling booth
you encounter on your way from Srinagar is in Dangerpora, a
part of the Sonawari constituency. Adjacent to the separatist
bastion of Srinagar, it seemed to be another world today as
serpentine lines of men and women made their way through the
mud-filled ‘kachcha’ floor of the building, serving as a
booth.
Links with
Pandey:
Prominent Kashmiris under ATS watch Mumbai, November 17
Prominent Kashmiri Pandits from the
corporate sector, media, film industry and even some retired bureaucrats
are under the scanner of the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) of the Maharashtra
police for their links with Swami Amritanand Dev Teerth Maharaj, alias
Dayanand Pandey.
Polls 2008 In Rajasthan, they age too fast or
too slow or just don’t… Jaipur, November 17
For many candidates in Rajasthan,
elections are a big joke. A good number of them from the BJP and the
Congress have furnished age details that seriously differ from what they
mentioned in the last election five years ago. Some have added nine to
ten years to their age, others have become younger.
Chhattisgarh Advani, Rahul heighten power play
at Korba Korba, November 17
It was a fairly important day in
the power hub Korba for two reasons. One is that two leading leaders of
main political parties were in the city, known more for its
power-generation plants and adjoining coal mines, to do some last minute
electioneering for the Phase-II elections scheduled for November 20.
Editor-in-Chief, Publisher &
Printer: H.K. Dua Published from The Tribune House, Sector
29-C, Chandigarh, India, 160030
for The Tribune Trust. Phone: (91-172)
2655066. Fax: (91-172)
2651291
Copyright : The Tribune Trust, 2006.
