Jammu and Kashmir: Third phase of panchayat polls underway
What's the story
Voting for the third phase of the Jammu-and-kashmir'>Jammu and Kashmir panchayat elections is underway. It began at 8 am in 2,773 polling stations, including 918 in Kashmir division and 1,855 in Jammu division, officials said. The voting would end at 2 pm. The officials said 727 polling stations have been categorized as hypersensitive, including 493 in Kashmir division and 234 in Jammu division.
Candidates
More than 5,000 candidates competing for 'sarpanch' and 'panch' seats
Officials said 5,239 candidates are in the fray for 358 sarpanch and 1,652 panch seats. 96 sarpanchs and 1,437 panchs have been elected unopposed in this phase. They further said an electorate of 4,23,592 candidates is eligible for voting for sarpanch constituencies while 2,70,668 for panch constituencies. All arrangements, including security-related, have been put in place for smooth conduct of the polls.
Participation
Over 50% polling recorded in first, second phase
The nine-phased elections, being conducted on the non-party basis, began on November 17. In the first phase of the polls, 74.1% polling was recorded across J&K, including 64.5% in Kashmir division and 79.4% in Jammu division. In the second phase held on November 20, overall 71.1% polling was witnessed across the state with 80.4% in Jammu division and 52.2% in Kashmir division.