Srinagar: Ruling National Conference (NC) candidates were leading at five out of nine constituencies from where initial trends of counting of votes in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections were available.

NC president Omar Abdullah was ahead in Ganderbal while two ministers Ghulam Moiuddin Shah and Ajatshatru Singh were leading in Batmaloo and Nagrota constituencies respectively.

NC's Abdul Ghani Shah was leading in Bijbehara constituency while his party colleague was ahead in Bani.

Panthers Party was leading in Udhampur constituency.

Congress was ahead in Ramban constituency while independents were leading in Banihal and Kargil.

Elections to the 87-member Jammu and Kashmir Assembly were held in four phases and two candidates of the Ladakhi United Territory Front have been already declared unopposed.

Meanwhile, minutes before counting began, National Conference chief ministerial candidate Omar Abdullah visited a counting centre.

"I am anxiously waiting for the outcome of the elections," Abdullah said at the S K International convention complex on the banks of Dal lake where counting for 10 constituencies of Srinagar will take place.

He expressed confidence that the mandate will be in his party's favour.

When asked what prompted him to visit the counting centre, Abdullah said, "I want to see how these (electronic voting machines) function".

PTI