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LIVE: Municipal Polls Phase Three: Access to journalists in Old City’s polling booth restricted by cops

Image Courtesy: Indian Express

3:02 PM: ACCESS TO JOURNALISTS IN OLD CITY’S POLLING BOOTH RESTRICTED BY COPS

Police on Saturday barred journalists from covering municipal polls in this capital city despite the authority letter issues by the Chief Election Commission, as per reported by Kashmir Reader.

No reporters were given access to the polling stations set up at Shahi Hamdan (RA) community centre at Zaina Kadal for the Khankah-e-Moula Ward, reporters were quoted by KR as having said. The police prevented the reporters from performing their professional duties even when the authority letter issued by the Chief Election Commission was shown to them.

The reporters were quoted by KR as having said that they were asked to wait till the senior officials reach the spot.

2:42 PM: URI RECORDS 72.69 VOTER TURNOUT TILL 2 PM

Voter turnout continues to soar in the border district of Uri, where 72.69 percent voters have exercised their franchise till 2pm today, as per reported by Kashmir Reader.

2:40 PM: POLLING PROCESS SMOOTH IN ALL FOUR MUNICIPALITIES, SAYS SAMBA DISTRICT ELECTION OFFICER

Samba district election officer Sushma Chauhan told news agency PTI, “Voting is underway smoothly in all the four municipal committees of Samba, Ramgarh, Vijaypur and Bari-Brahmana and so far 59.39 per cent of 31,878 electorates have exercised their franchise in the 57 polling stations set up across the district till 12 am.”

2:00 PM: LOWEST TURNOUT EVER RECORDED IN VALLEY, NO ONE QUESTIONING MODI: OMAR

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and NC leader Omar Abdullah said, “From the highest turnouts since 1987 in 2014 to the lowest turnouts ever recorded in 2018, why is the Modi government able to get away with its disastrous handling of Kashmir almost unquestioned?”

1:40 PM: URI RECORDS 68.69 PERCENT VOTER TURNOUT AT 1 PM

The border town of Uri on Saturday recorded highest voter turnout at 1:00 pm for the municipal committee Uri elections was recorded 68.69 percent, officials said, as per reported by Kashmir Reader.

At 1:00 pm, 2440 voters had given their vote of which, 1216 were male and 1224 eligible female voters.

1:35 PM: POLLING AREAS UNDER SURVEILLANCE, SAYS JK CEO

Jammu and Kashmir’s CEO Shaleen Kabra said observers have been deployed, including micro-observers at 222 ‘hypersensitive’ polling stations in the Kashmir Division and 19 in Jammu Division. The CEO added that Basic Minimum Facilities (BMF) have been ensured in all the polling stations across the region. “Deputy commissioners are undertaking videography of all critical events related to the poll process,” Kabra said.

 

1:25 PM: 1.2 PERCENT POLLING RECORDED IN SRINAGAR TILL 12 PM

Over one per cent polling was recorded in Srinagar Municipal Corporation until 12 pm. Baramulla recorded the highest with 59.6 percent, Samba with 59.1 percent, Anantnag with 2.5 percent followed by Srinagar with 1.2 percent.

Meanwhile, additional poll staff has been deployed at polling stations with a large number of electors.

12:30 PM: URI RECORDS 60 PERCENT POLLING, MATTAN CLOSE TO 3 PERCENT

The border town of Uri in north Kashmir’s Baramulla recorded 60 percent polling while south Kashmir’s Mattan witnessed close to 3 percent (125 votes), as per reported by Kashmir Reader.

12:10 PM: CONTROL ROOMS ESTABLISHED TO MONITOR COMPLAINTS, SAYS REGION’S CHIEF ELECTORAL OFFICER

“Control Rooms have been established in all the municipal bodies across the state to respond promptly to any complaints of violation of the model code of conduct (MCC) as also to disseminate information to the public,” Shaleen Kabra, Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), was quoted as saying by IANS.

11:50 AM: URI RECORDS 48.54 PERCENT POLLING TILL 11 AM

Nearly fifty percent polling has been witnessed in the elections for municipal committee Uri here in this north Kashmir Baramulla district, as per a report in Kashmir Reader.

Till 11:00 am, 1724 votes out of 3552 were polled at the booths set up by the authorities here, officials were quoted by KR as having said. Among the voters, 922 were male and 802 females. The poll percentage was 48.54 till 11:00 am.

11:40 AM: TILL 10 AM, SAMBA RECORDS HIGHEST VOTER TURNOUT

The Phrase Three Four Districts voter turnout report till 10 AM show Samba at the highest 40.3 percent, followed by Baramulla at 35.1 percent, Anantnag at 2.1 percent and Srinagar at the lowest 0.9 percent.

Image courtesy: Indian express

11:24 AM: 8 BJP CANDIDATES WIN UNOPPOSED, NO CANDIDATES IN 13 WARDS IN SOPORE

Eight Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) candidates have won unopposed while no candidate has filed nomination from other 13 wards of the Sopore municipal council which were to go to polls today, Kashmir Reader reported.

Eight BJP candidates, who had filed nominations from Ward number 1, 2, 3,4,5,17,18 and 21 have won unopposed since no other contestant joined the poll fray, KR quoted officials as having said. However, 13 other wards of the committee remain vacant as no one filed the nomination papers.

Sopore town has a total number of 41228 registered of which 20878 are males 20, 248 are females.

10:52 AM: JAMMU AND KASHMIR POLICE: 241 POLLING STATIONS ‘HYPERSENSITIVE’

Out of the 300 polling stations, 241 stations – 222 in the Kashmir Division and 19 in Jammu Division – have been categorized hypersensitive, police officials said, as per reported by Indian Express.

10:42 AM: INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE JUNAID MATTU CASTS VOTE

After casting his vote, independent candidate Junaid Mattu told news agency ANI, “High time some people get off the moral high horse, anybody who disagrees with the two regional parties is labelled a BJP puppet by them. The fact is both NC and PDP have been in alliance with the BJP before. So it is hilarious.”

Earlier, then National Conference spokesperson Junaid Azim Mattu resigned from the party, citing ‘humble disagreement’ with boycott of local body polls.

On Twitter, he said, “Based on my humble disagreement with the party’s decision to boycott the upcoming ULB and Panchayat Polls, I have just sent my resignation from the party to the JKNC General Secretary. 1/n.”

“I strongly believe that leaving our grassroots democratic institutions open to misrepresentation would inflict serious harm on the State and also wreak havoc with our social fabric and cultural legacy. 2/n.”

“I will announce my candidature for the ULB elections from Srinagar tomorrow in sha Allah and I remain committed to serving my people and helping the city I grew up in meet the challenges it’s faced with. I won’t be addressing the media or taking any questions today. 3/3.”

 

10:30 AM: TILL 8 AM SHOWS LESS THAN ONE PERCENT POLLING IN SRINAGAR

Less than one per cent polls were polled in Srinagar municipal corporation until 8 am during the third phase of local bodies’ polls in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday.

According to official figures, the polling percentage in the first two hours was recorded as: Anantnag (1.3), Baramulla (9.2), Srinagar (0.4) and Samba (16.8).

 

10:14 AM: BRISK POLLING IN URI

Brisk polling was witnessed in Uri municipal committee during the third phase of local bodies’ polls in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday.

An official said that 23 per cent polling was recorded in the first three hours of voting in Uri municipal council elections.

“Out of 3552, 838 votes were polled till 9 am,” he said.

 

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Municipal polls began on Saturday for the third phase of the urban local bodies’ elections in 96 wards spread across four districts.

Polling began at 6 am and is expected to end at 4 pm.

Four municipal committees in Samba district: Samba, Vijaypur, Ramgarh and Bari-Brahmana have gone to polls in the Jammu division.

Election is being held in these areas in Kashmir valley: Lal Chowk, Rajbagh, Ikhrajpora, Mehjoor Nagar, Natipora, Chanapora, Budshah Nagar, Bagaat Barzulla, Rawalpora, Hyderpora, Khanka-e-Moualla, Mahraj Gung, Jamia Masjid, Makhdoom Sahib, Khawaja Bazar, Aquilmir Khanyar, Rouzabal, Doulatabad, Islamyarbal, Nawab Bazar, Nawa Kadal, Safa Kadal, Rathpora, Eidgah, Palpora, Tarabal, Hajin, Sopore, Uri, Tral, Awanitpora, Mattan, Pahalgam, Aishmuqam, Seer Hamdani.

ALSO READ: Ongoing ULB polls have cast a shadow on the very roots of democracy, says National Conference

Security has been beefed up across the state to ensure peaceful conduct of the polls.

A total of 372 candidates are in the fray in the third phase of the urban local bodies’ elections.

The overall voter turnout in the first phase of local body elections was 56.7 per cent, while in the second phase, overall turnout was 30 per cent.

Meanwhile, the Joint Resistance Leadership comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik have said that a complete protest shutdown will be observed in the poll bound areas which fall under the third phase of the ‘sham elections’ being thrust on people by the authoritarian state.

ALSO READ: Municipal Polls: Hail people for rejecting this ‘military exercise to legitimize GoI’s forcible control over JK’, says JRL

“As in the previous two phases people will again show their total rejection and dismissal of this farce by staying away and boycotting it completely, JRL said in a statement.

The statement added that a shutdown would be observed in following areas: Lal Chowk, Rajbagh, Ikhrajpora, Mehjoor Nagar, Natipora, Chanapora, Budshah Nagar, Bagaat Barzulla, Rawalpora, Hyderpora, Khanka-e-Moualla, Mahraj Gung, Jamia Masjid, Makhdoom Sahib, Khawaja Bazar, Aquilmir Khanyar, Rouzabal, Doulatabad, Islamyarbal, Nawab Bazar, Nawa Kadal, Safa Kadal, Rathpora, Eidgah, Palpora, Tarabal, Hajin, Sopore, Uri, Tral, Awanitpora, Mattan, Pahalgam, Aishmuqam, Seer Hamdani.

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