Jammu & Kashmir Panchayat Elections: Phase VII Concludes, Low Turnout in Kashmir

On Saturday, the eighth phase of panchayat elections was held in Jammu and Kashmir.

Amid tight security and strike, polling for the eighth phase began at 8 am, and ended at 2 pm across 2,633 polling stations.

As per Chief Electoral Officer Shaleen Kabra, 6,306 candidates were contesting for 331 sarpanch and 2,007 panch seats in this phase.

He said that 43 sarpanch and 681 panch have been elected unopposed in this phase. An electorate of 5,15,121 was expected to vote for sarpanch constituencies, and that of 4,19,775 for panch constituencies.

Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) had urged people to observe a complete shutdown in poll-bound areas, and boycott the election.

Due to the volatile situation in the state, 361 polling stations 171 in Kashmir division and 190 in Jammu division were marked as hypersensitive in this phase. Government forces, including the Central Armed Police Forces, were deployed in heavy numbers in and around polling stations.

Overall turnout recorded in Jammu and Kashmir was 79.9 per cent.

In Kashmir division, Kupwara recorded 53.8 per cent, Bandipora recorded 18 per cent, Baramulla recorded 56.9 per cent, Srinagar recorded 11.6 per cent and Budgam 9.1 per cent voter turnout.

In Kashmir division, 49.6 per cent voters came out to vote, and Budgam district recorded the lowest turnout of 9.1 per cent.

Meanwhile, in Jammu division, Reasi recorded 89.8 per cent, Kathua 84 per cent, Samba recorded 84 per cent, Jammu recorded 84.8 per cent and Rajouri recorded 83.4 percent voter turnout.

In the Jammu division, 85.1 per cent voters exercised their franchise, and 89.9 per cent voters turned out in the Reasi district, making it the highest turnout in the division.

Attack on voters during phase seven

Despite tight security arrangements, at least 12 persons were injured in five separate incidents of clashes during panchayat elections phase VII in Mendhar block of Poonch district, which was held on Tuesday.

As per reports, people, who were attacked by mobs, were heading to cast their votes, and a few among them were the relatives of recently elected sarpanchs.

One of the injured, Amjid Bashir Khan, told Newsclick that a group of people attacked him along with his brother Wajid with sharp-edged weapons during polling. In the attack, Amjid, Wajid and two other people suffered injuries, and were subsequently hospitalised. Amjids father Bashir Khan had won the sarpanch seat on Tuesday, and the rival group later allegedly attacked them.

In another incident, which took place in the same area, Mohd Marouf, whose brother Mohd Akbar Khan had won the sarpanch election, told Newsclick that he was attacked by a group of people on Tuesday.

Third incident that took place in the same area reportedly involved Sub-Inspector Mehmood Ahmad Khan who had allegedly attacked a woman, Shabana Kounsar. Speaking to Newsclick, she said that when she was going to cast her vote, she was stopped, and beaten by a group of people that included Khan (presently posted in Jammu).

On Wednesday, police filed four separate FIRs, and named several people, including tehsildar and sub-inspector of police in connection with group clash amid phase VII of the panchayat polls, resulting in injuries to 16 people in Mendhar area of Poonch district.

While speaking to a cop (wishing anonymity) from Mendhar police station, Newsclick learnt that the attackers were purportedly relatives of candidates who had lost the sarpanch elections in the area.

One of the injured, wishing not to be named, while speaking to Newsclick, said that the attack was a planned one. People who attacked them were from the group of a few candidates who were contesting for elections.