Srinagar: Barring some terrorists attacks in which a policeman was killed and six
civilians were injured, polling in 23 Assembly constituencies was by and large
peaceful on September 16 with nearly 40 per cent turnout in the first phase of
elections to the 87-member Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.
The polling, which began at 07:00 hours (IST), commenced on a dull note but picked
up as the day progressed with Karnah constituency in Kupwara and Uri and Gurez in
Baramulla recording more than 60 and 40 per cent turnout respectively.
Incidentally, all the three Assembly constituencies share boundaries with Pakistan
occupied Kashmir.
Attempts of terrorists to disrupt polls were frustrated by security forces but
militants managed to fire a rocket at a polling station at Rafiabad in Baramulla
district.
The September 16 polling has sealed the fate of Assembly Speaker Abdul Ahad Vakil
(Sopore), brother of Chief Minister Mustafa Kamal (Gulmarg), Chowdhary Mohammed
Ramzan (Handwara), Maulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari (Pattan), Mohammed Shafi (Uri) and
Qamar Ali Akhoon (Kargil).
The Assembly segment of Sopore, traditional stronghold of Jamaat-e-Islami leader
Syed Ali Shah Geelani, presently in jail, saw a turnout of only five per
cent.
Sangrama, adjoinging Sopore, where only few voters cast their votes in the morning,
saw nearly 15 per cent turnout.
Thousands of personnel from Army, para military forces and state police fanned out
across the state to provide the tightest ever security with about 40,000 security
personnel coming from other states.
PTI
