JAMMU/SRINAGAR: Polling ended peacefully on Tuesday in 15 Assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir that voted in the first phase of the five-phase Assembly elections, officials said.

"No major incident of violence has been reported from anywhere," a poll official said in Jammu.

Record 70 per cent turnout was recorded. Election commission officials, however, said the percentage was likely to change as the final figures were yet to be received.

Although polling ended at 4 pm, voters who entered the polling station by that time are entitled to vote.

Twelve sitting MLAs, including seven ministers, are among 123 candidates trying their luck in the 15 constituencies that went to polls in all three regions of the state.

A total of 10,502,50 voters, including 5,49,698 males and 5,00,539 females, besides 13 transgenders were eligible to exercise their right to franchise in the first phase of the polls.

Nearly 1900 polling stations had been set up by election authorities in these 15 constituencies.

Many star campaigners, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi campaigned for their party candidates for the first phase of polls.

While Modi addressed a rally in Kishtwar, Rajnath tried to garner support for BJP candidates in Leh and Bhaderwah constituencies and party president Amit Shah campaigned in Ramban.

Sonia addressed two rallies in Bandipora and Ramban, while Bollywood actor-turned politician Raj Babbar addressed rallies in Bandipora, Sonawari and Ganderbal constituencies.

The other star campaigners include Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for his party the National Conference (NC), PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and party president Mehbooba Mufti, Ambika Soni and Ghulam Nabi Azad for Congress.

The campaigning for the first phase remained by and large peaceful. However, there were minor clashes in Sonawari, when the PDP candidate Yasir Reshi was pelted with stones by some miscreants.

There was no militancy-related incident reported from any of the 15 constituencies going to polls.

The separatist groups like all factions of Hurriyat Conference and JKLF have called for a boycott of the polls and called for a general strike as well. — Agencies

BANDIPORA: Power of democracy prevailed over the separatist-sponsored call for boycott as voters from five constituencies of the Kashmir Valley today thronged polling stations to exercise their franchise in the first of the five-phased elections in the state.

Long queues of voters outside polling booths was evident of the people's desire to participate in the democratic process and elect their representatives for the next six years, unperturbed by the anti-election material posted by separatist outfits.

In three polling stations set up at Animal Husbandry building in Hajin town of this district, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), which had actively campaigned for poll boycott, had inscribed graffiti calling for boycott.

The electorate ignored the boycott call and turned up large numbers an hour before the scheduled start of polling at 8 AM to exercise their franchise.

The three polling stations had registered a turnout of more than 18 per cent in the first two hours till 10 am. Out of total 2,027 votes, 368 were polled during the first two hours.
"Boycotting the elections does not matter in the present day scheme of things. We have seen over the years that an MLA would get elected irrespective of how many votes are cast," Ghulam Ahmad Parray, a 65-year-old, told PTI.

Parray said lesser number of votes cast always favour the wrong people. "If the majority of the electorate exercise their right, a true representative will be elected who will be accountable to all people of the constituency," he added.

SRINAGAR: Television channels are reporting an explosion as having taken place in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora District on Tuesday morning.

Media reports quoted security officials as saying that it was a low intensity blast in a rocky terrain of the district, and added that there were no casualties so far.

In the wake of the blast, the security drill in the district has been tightened, given that the first phase of assembly elections in the state is currently on.

Meanwhile, about 20 per cent voting was reported in the state till a little after 10 a.m. this morning. Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah have appealed to the people to come out in large numbers to vote.

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Tuesday with an aim to inject new momentum to regional bloc SAARC during its two-day summit beginning tomorrow as he said development of close relations with neighbours was a key priority for his government.

On his arrival here to attend his maiden SAARC Summit, Modi was accorded a warm welcome. He was given a guard of honour and a group of girls presented a cultural performance for him.

Modi will articulate India's position on various issues during the summit on November 26-7 and will hold bilateral talks with South Asian heads of state and government on its margins.

While Modi's official programme has no mention of his meeting with Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif, he would be meeting Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa among others.

In his pre-departure statement, Modi said development of close relations with neighbours was a key priority for his government and he was also looking forward to holding talks with other South Asian heads of state and government on the margins of the summit.

"Although this is my first SAARC Summit, during the last six months, I have interacted extensively with leaders of SAARC countries beginning with their auspicious presence at my swearing-in ceremony. Development of close relations with our neighbours is a key priority for my Government," Modi said.

Noting that the summit's theme was "Deeper Regional Integration for Peace and Prosperity", he said India has always emphasised on the importance of greater regional integration at all levels for the socio-economic development of the South Asian region.

"We have undertaken several initiatives in this regard on bilateral, sub-regional and regional basis, and will continue to do more. We hope that the summit will lead to concrete outcomes, particularly in regard to various initiatives on enhancing connectivity that have been under discussion for a long time," he said.

"This will be my second visit to Nepal within four months, which reflects the importance we attach to our unique and special relations with Nepal. There has been significant progress in the implementation of the decisions taken during my visit to Nepal in August 2014. I look forward to reviewing the progress in our relations with Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and other Nepalese leaders," he added.

Prime Minister Modi's high-level delegation at the summit includes External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh and a number of senior officials of various ministries. — PTI

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today held talks with his Nepalese counterpart Sushil Koirala on key strategic issues after which ten agreements, including a pact on USD 1 billion assistance to Nepal, were inked.

A host of strategic issues, including defence and security, were discussed between Modi and Koirala during their talks that lasted for nearly 40 minutes.
Talking about bilateral ties, Modi said, "When we trust each other, we can move forward very quickly." "Projects that have been in limbo for 25 years are moving forward. I feel very satisfied," he said after inaugurating the trauma centre built by India at Kathmandu's Bir Hospital.
Following the talks between the two leaders, the two sides finalised terms of the USD 1 billion Indian assistance for Nepal's infrastructure development, which was announced by Modi during his August visit.
The agreement for the USD 1 billion Line of Credit to Nepal was signed between Nepal's Finance Ministry Joint Secretary Madhu Kumar Marasini and David Rasquinha, the Deputy Managing Director of Exim Bank.
Modi, who arrived here earlier today for a three-day visit, will attend the two-day 18th SAARC Summit beginning tomorrow apart from holding bilateral meetings with other SAARC heads of state and government.
India and Nepal today signed the Motor Vehicle Agreement under which permit would be given to vehicles to ply on designated routes in each other's country.
They also inked three twin-city pacts between Kathmandu-Varanasi, Janakpur-Ayodhya and Lumbini-Bodh Gaya.
The 10 agreements signed between the two countries include, MoU on training at Nepal Police Academy, MoU on Tourism, MoU Traditional Medicines and MoU on Youth Exchange.
A MoU was also signed on a project development agreement over the 900 megawatt hydro-electric project on the Arun river in Nepal.


India and Nepal also lifted a decade-long ban on carrying of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 Indian bank notes by their nationals while visiting each other's countries by setting a maximum limit of Rs 25,000 for the high denomination currency, benefiting tourists.
"We have decided to allow our nationals to carry Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination notes up to the limit of Rs 25,000," Prime Minister Modi announced here.
India also gifted Nepal mobile soil testing lab that will boost soil health monitoring and adoption of best agricultural practices.
Earlier, Modi made a strong pitch for the early drafting of Nepal's Constitution, saying if the country fails to do so it may get into "difficulties".
"I request all political stakeholders to draft the Constitution by early next year as committed through consensus which will reflect aspirations of all communities, including Madhesis, Pahadis and Maoists...failing to do so can cause difficulties to Nepal and your difficulty despite our expertise to help you in this field is a matter of sadness," Modi said.
He said India will not like to interfere but having expertise and not being able to help Nepal from getting into difficulty will be sad.
Modi's remarks came after Nepalese Prime Minister Koirala expressed confidence that Nepal will be able to draft its Constitution by early next year.
Modi's comments calling for speedy drafting of Nepal's Constitution came after he inaugurated the trauma centre built by India at Kathmandu's Bir Hospital.
The 200-bedded centre is a Rs 1.5 billion project of the Indian government. The centre will have 150 beds in the trauma ward, six operation theatres, 14 ICUs, eight resuscitation rooms and beds for emergency observation, 10 examination cubicles in the outpatient department and a triage area.
The foundation of the centre was laid by former Prime Minister I K Gujral in 1997.
Noting that a lot of decisions have made progress since his last visit in August this year, Modi said that Nepal's happiness and satisfaction on implementation of these projects gives India a reason to smile.
Showing India's commitment to strengthening ties, Modi also handed over to Nepal an Advanced Light Helicopter which will be used for military and civilian operations.
Prime Minister Modi and Koirala flagged off the Kathmandu-Delhi bus service called Pashupatinath Express from here.
Before the flagging off, both the Prime Ministers hopped into the bus and interacted with the travellers of the bus, which was decorated with streamers, balloons and flowers. -PTI 

RANCHI: A total 61.92 per cent votes were cast in the first phase of polls in 13 of the 81 Assembly seats in Jharkhand amidst sporadic incidents of damage to EVMs.

"The percentage (of votes) could be updated later," an official with the Election Commission here said.

Palamau returning officer KN Jha said EVM machines at booth numbers 191 and 192 in Chhatarpur constituency were damaged in a minor altercation following which polling in the two booths has been cancelled.

Polling passed off peacefully in the rest of the Maoist-affected constituencies, EC sources said.

The constituencies which went to polls are Chatra(SC), Gumla (ST), Bishunpur (ST), Lohardaga (ST), Manika (ST), Latehar (SC), Panki and Daltonganj, Bishrampur, Chhatarpur (SC), Hussainabad, Garhwa and Bhawanathpur.

The second phase polling for 20 seats will be held on December 2.

Polling for the third phase for 17 seats is slated for December 9, the fourth for 15 seats on December 14 and the fifth and final phase for 16 seats will be held on December 20.

Counting is on December 23.

This is the third Assembly election after Jharkhand was carved out from Bihar on November 15, 2000. — PTI

MUMBAI: Legendary Kathak danseuse Sitara Devi, who has been described as the "Empress of dance" and was a pioneering force in bringing this classical dance genre to Bollywood, died here today after a prolonged illness.

Sitara, 94, died in Jaslok hospital, hospital sources said.

Born in 1920 in the then Calcutta, Sitara drew from the themes, poetry and choreography collected by her father in her choreographies. She also got inspired from the environment around her--be it a town or a village.

As condolences poured in after Sitara's death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled her "rich contribution" to Kathak.

"PM has condoled the passing away of noted Kathak dancer Sitara Devi. PM also recalled her rich contribution to Kathak," the Prime Minister's Office said in a tweet.

The characters around the Kathak queen came alive in her dance. "By training, I am just a 'kathakar' of Krishna-leela (tales of Krishna)," the danseuse used to say.

Kathak, which literally means 'katha', is a narrative drama which evolved out of the Krishna temples of hinterland to scale the pinnacle of glory in the Muslim courts.

Sitara's roots were inextricably woven to the tradition of 'kathakars', the early Kathak dancers.

She was born Dhannolakshmi to a family of Brahmin 'kathakar' Sukhdev Maharaj and chose school and dance over an early wedding, as was the norm of the 1920s.

Her father, a Vaishnavite Brahmin scholar and Kathak exponent, sent her to a local school where she impressed her teachers and the local media with her performance 
in a dance drama, "Savitri Satyavan".

When her father learnt of it, he re-christened her as Sitara or the star and placed her under the care of her older sister for kathak training.

By the time Sitara turned 11, the family moved to Mumbai, where she impressed Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore with a three-hour solo recital.

Tagore offered her a shawl and Rs 50 which Sitara refused and instead sought his blessings instead to become a great dancer.

Tagore described her as 'Nritya Samragini', meaning the empress of dance, after watching the performance. The epithet continues, and she is still described as the Kathak queen.

Over the next six decades, she became a Kathak legend and was a pioneering force in bringing the genre to Bollywood.

Sitara married director K Asif of Mughal-e-Azam fame and then Pratap Barot. She was a vital force who stood for zest and vigour in Indian dance.

She was honoured with the Legends of India Lifetime Achievement Award 2011 for her contribution to the classical dance genre for over six decades. -PTI

NEW DELHI: Army Chief Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag is undertaking a visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday to review the security situation there as the first phase of polling goes underway.

Suhag will begin his tour of the state from Srinagar. He is expected to be back in the national capital later in the evening.

Ensuring a violence-free election in Jammu and Kashmir is a major task for the Army at the moment and the force has been put on high alert.

Some militant groups have given a poll boycott call in the state.
Voting is underway in 15 constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir which go to polls in first of the five-phased state elections. -PTI