ID :
35562
Sun, 12/14/2008 - 13:38
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Protester killed, 57 turn out as J-K voters snub boycott call
Pulwama, Dec 13 (PTI) Anti-poll violence left one
person dead and 30 others injured Saturday as a separatists'
boycott call failed to deter voters in frontier Indian state
of Jammu and Kashmir with an impressive 57 per cent turnout
recorded in 11 constituencies, including in militancy-infested
Pulwama and Shopian.
Security forces opened fire to disperse about 200
anti-election protesters who turned violent and pelted stones
after being stopped from marching towards a polling booth at
Quil village in Pulwama district.
Fourteen security personnel and three civilians were
injured in the violence. One of the injured protesters
identified as Muzamil Ahmad Ganai succumbed to injuries at a
hospital in Srinagar, officials said. Similar clashes occurred
at two other places, injuring three security personnel and 10
civilians.
This is the first major incident of violence during
polling since the seven-stage exercise began on Nov 17.
Nearly 57 per cent of the 8.3 lakh electorate voted
Saturday amid tight security, election officials said.
In the Valley, nearly 47 per cent of electorate
Saturday voted in the six seats which had recorded just 23.68
per cent polling in 2002 Assembly elections.
While Tral recorded 50 per cent, Pampore and Wachi,
from where People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader mehbooba
Mufti is in fray, witnessed 46 per cent turnout.
In both Pulwama and Rajapora, 45 per cent of the
electorate voted while in Shopian the turnout was 48 per cent.
A massive voter turnout was seen in five Assembly
segment of Kathua district with 67 per cent of the electorate
exercising the democratic right compared to 61.19 per cent in
2002.
Bani recorded the highest turnout of 76 per cent
followed by Basholi 71 per cent. Kathua saw 64 per cent
polling while Billawar and Hiranagar recorded 65 and 58 per
cent respectively.
Despite the boycott call given by the Separatists'
Co-ordination Committee, the first four rounds of the
staggered elections held on November 17, 23 and 30 and
December seven saw an impressive voter turnout of 69 per cent,
68.29 per cent, 68.22 per cent and 59.33 per cent
respectively.
A record number of 179 candidates, including five
women nominees and 58 independents, are in fray in the 11
seats. Only 97 candidates had contested in these
constituencies in 2002 Assembly elections.
Prominent among the candidates are Peoples Democratic
Party President Mehbooba Mufti, former ministers Ghulam Hassan
Khan, Syed Bashir Ahmad and Mohammad Khalil Bandh.
Mehbooba, who won the last assembly election from
Pahalgam seat before being elected to Lok Sabha, is contesting
from Wachhi seat this time. Although there are 18 other
candidates in the fray, National Conference (NC) candidate
Showkat Hussain Ganai and ex-Member of Legislative Assembly
(MLA) Khalil Naik of Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)
can pose a serious challenge for the People's Democratic Party
(PDP) president.
Nearly 5,770 polling staff and 20,000 security
personnel have been deployed at 1,154 polling booths of which
626 have been identified as "sensitive" and 386 as
"hypersensitive".
The security was further beefed up following
intelligence inputs that militants might target candidates.
Age did not deter senior citizens from exercising
their franchise as 110-year-old Wali Mohammad Dar and
90-year-old Haji Ghulam Mohammad Mir were among the first to
cast their votes in Rajpora constituency.
Braving chilly weather, 95-year-old Zoona Ded cast her
vote at Wuyan-A polling station, while 80-year-old Gulzar
Ahmad was among the first voters at Konabal-A polling station
in Pampore Assembly constituency.
Long queues of voters, especially women, were
witnessed in all five constituencies of Kathua district.
103-year-old Lachun Ram and 105-year-old Khanam Begum voted at
Lowang polling station in Bani constituency.
Militancy-infested Shopian and Tral segments have the
maximum number of 21 candidates each followed by 20 in Kathua
and 19 each in Pulwama and Wachhi.
With Saturday's polling, elections will be completed in
50 of the 87 assembly constituencies. The remaining 37 seats
will go to polls in the sixth (16) and seventh (21) rounds on
December 17 and 24.
person dead and 30 others injured Saturday as a separatists'
boycott call failed to deter voters in frontier Indian state
of Jammu and Kashmir with an impressive 57 per cent turnout
recorded in 11 constituencies, including in militancy-infested
Pulwama and Shopian.
Security forces opened fire to disperse about 200
anti-election protesters who turned violent and pelted stones
after being stopped from marching towards a polling booth at
Quil village in Pulwama district.
Fourteen security personnel and three civilians were
injured in the violence. One of the injured protesters
identified as Muzamil Ahmad Ganai succumbed to injuries at a
hospital in Srinagar, officials said. Similar clashes occurred
at two other places, injuring three security personnel and 10
civilians.
This is the first major incident of violence during
polling since the seven-stage exercise began on Nov 17.
Nearly 57 per cent of the 8.3 lakh electorate voted
Saturday amid tight security, election officials said.
In the Valley, nearly 47 per cent of electorate
Saturday voted in the six seats which had recorded just 23.68
per cent polling in 2002 Assembly elections.
While Tral recorded 50 per cent, Pampore and Wachi,
from where People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader mehbooba
Mufti is in fray, witnessed 46 per cent turnout.
In both Pulwama and Rajapora, 45 per cent of the
electorate voted while in Shopian the turnout was 48 per cent.
A massive voter turnout was seen in five Assembly
segment of Kathua district with 67 per cent of the electorate
exercising the democratic right compared to 61.19 per cent in
2002.
Bani recorded the highest turnout of 76 per cent
followed by Basholi 71 per cent. Kathua saw 64 per cent
polling while Billawar and Hiranagar recorded 65 and 58 per
cent respectively.
Despite the boycott call given by the Separatists'
Co-ordination Committee, the first four rounds of the
staggered elections held on November 17, 23 and 30 and
December seven saw an impressive voter turnout of 69 per cent,
68.29 per cent, 68.22 per cent and 59.33 per cent
respectively.
A record number of 179 candidates, including five
women nominees and 58 independents, are in fray in the 11
seats. Only 97 candidates had contested in these
constituencies in 2002 Assembly elections.
Prominent among the candidates are Peoples Democratic
Party President Mehbooba Mufti, former ministers Ghulam Hassan
Khan, Syed Bashir Ahmad and Mohammad Khalil Bandh.
Mehbooba, who won the last assembly election from
Pahalgam seat before being elected to Lok Sabha, is contesting
from Wachhi seat this time. Although there are 18 other
candidates in the fray, National Conference (NC) candidate
Showkat Hussain Ganai and ex-Member of Legislative Assembly
(MLA) Khalil Naik of Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)
can pose a serious challenge for the People's Democratic Party
(PDP) president.
Nearly 5,770 polling staff and 20,000 security
personnel have been deployed at 1,154 polling booths of which
626 have been identified as "sensitive" and 386 as
"hypersensitive".
The security was further beefed up following
intelligence inputs that militants might target candidates.
Age did not deter senior citizens from exercising
their franchise as 110-year-old Wali Mohammad Dar and
90-year-old Haji Ghulam Mohammad Mir were among the first to
cast their votes in Rajpora constituency.
Braving chilly weather, 95-year-old Zoona Ded cast her
vote at Wuyan-A polling station, while 80-year-old Gulzar
Ahmad was among the first voters at Konabal-A polling station
in Pampore Assembly constituency.
Long queues of voters, especially women, were
witnessed in all five constituencies of Kathua district.
103-year-old Lachun Ram and 105-year-old Khanam Begum voted at
Lowang polling station in Bani constituency.
Militancy-infested Shopian and Tral segments have the
maximum number of 21 candidates each followed by 20 in Kathua
and 19 each in Pulwama and Wachhi.
With Saturday's polling, elections will be completed in
50 of the 87 assembly constituencies. The remaining 37 seats
will go to polls in the sixth (16) and seventh (21) rounds on
December 17 and 24.
