Valley voters flock to polling centres

Kupwara: Braving freezing temperatures and ignoring separatists' boycott call once again, voters came out in large numbers in the Kashmir Valley to vote in the third round of the staggered assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday.

Brisk and peaceful polling was reported from the five constituencies of north Kashmir's Kupwara district where balloting began on a dull note in the morning due to the cold weather but picked up as the day progressed, Election Commission officials said.

They said that by 2pm Kupwara registered the highest 55 per cent turnout and Karnah recorded 53 per cent.

In Lolab, 43 per cent of the voters had exercised their franchise and Handwara and Langate saw 37 and 36 per cent turnout respectively.

Long queues

The electoral battle is being keenly watched because slain separatist leader Abdul Gani Lone's daughter Shabnum is contesting as an independent candidate from Kupwara constituency.

Shabnum's two brothers, also separatist leaders, are however, vociferously campaigning for a boycott of the elections.

The large turnout and winding queues outside the polling stations are significant in view of the boycott call by the separatists, which voters defied in the first and second phase of polling in Jammu and Kashmir.

Jammu and Kashmir will witness a total of seven rounds of polling, ending December 24. The votes will be counted four days later.

There were long queues of electors at Kulangam, Chokel and Puriphet polling stations of Handwara constituency.

At Puriphet, voters were enthusiastic though balloting started an hour late because of a faulty electronic voting machine.

For the 335,927 eligible voters, in this round there are 480 polling stations. Seventy-one candidates, including 31 independents and five women, are in the fray.

Except for an anti-election protest in Trehgam village of Kupwara constituency, no untoward incident was reported. A team of the Central Reserve Police Force used batons to disperse the protesters shouting pro-freedom slogans, a police officer said.

Handwara (IANS) A 98-year-old woman, confident that her vote will help usher in change, stood in queue at a polling station in Handwara constituency in the third phase of assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir yesterday.

"There are many problems like unemployment, bad roads and poor electricity. I am voting for someone who will change things. I am confident my vote will make a difference," said Fazi, who waited patiently for her turn to vote at the Machipora polling station although she could barely stand.

Her daughter-in-law Mehbooba said the family had difficulty in persuading her not to leave in the winter chill.

"She insisted she must vote. We wanted her to wait till the weather warmed up, but she wouldn't listen," Mehbooba said.