Panchayat elections 14th phase

Even as nearly 99 per cent contestants in four blocks of Leh district were elected unopposed in 14th phase of Panchayat elections today, 67.3 per cent electorates exercised their right to franchise in the polls for nine blocks of three regions of the State to elect 166 Sarpanches and 597 Panches.

Nine blocks spread over all three regions of the State—Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh—that went to polls today comprised 217 Sarpanch and 1486 Panch constituencies. However, 217 Sarpanches and 1486 Panches had been elected as unopposed while there were no contestants for two Sarpanch and 155 Panch segments.

Out of a total of 2.22 lakh votes, 1.49 lakh exercised their right to franchise in 14th phase of voting today.

Highest turnout of 90 per cent was reported from Kralpora block of Kupwara district where election was held for three Panchayats only while lowest voting percentage of 52.3 was recorded in Pampore block of Pulwama district.

Bhallesa block of Doda district accounted for 84.7 voting. Voting percentage in other blocks included Kalaroos, Kupwara (84), Shopian (63), Nobra (82.3), Panamik (72.4), Nyoma (72) and Durbuk (78).

Polling in Bhallesa block of Doda district passed off peacefully amidst tight security arrangements. People turned up in large number in far off and remote areas of Bhallesa to cast their votes.

Heavy turn-out was recorded even from the villages where threat of the militants once loomed large. Long queues of people were witnessed right from the morning at Gandoh proper, Chilli, Samara, Manch, Haddal, Kota, Kilotran, Bharti, Soti, Kaljugasar, Goha, Changa and other areas of Bhallesa block.

The polling and counting remained incident free.

DIG Doda-Ramban range Manish Kumar Sinha and SP Headquarters Doda Arif Mohammad Reshu supervised security arrangements for the polls.

Polling would conclude in Jammu region in 15th phase of elections on June 11 with elections in Bhaderwah in Doda district, Marwah, Dachchan and Inshan in Kishtwar district. Polling process has already been completed in eight blocks of 10 districts of Jammu region.

Immediately after the polling was completed, counting of the votes was taken up at all places. Majority of results had been declared by late tonight and the election process would be over by tomorrow morning.

Like previous phase, majority of candidates for the posts of Sarpanches and Panches had been elected unopposed this time too.

Official sources said 13 out of 14 Sarpanches and 90 out of 92 Panches had been elected uncontested in Nobra block of Leh leaving only three constituencies for the election. Similarly, five out of six Sarpanches and 39 out of 40 Panches were elected unopposed in Panamik block of Leh district. Election in Panamik was held for only two segments.

In Nyoma block of Leh, nine Sarpanches from a total of 13 and 78 Panches from amongst 79 had been elected unanimously necessitating elections in five segments only while in Durbuk block of the same district six out of seven Sarpanches and 42 from 46 Panches were elected unopposed leading to polling only for five seats.

A total of 49 Sarpanches including one male and 734 Panches, 260 of them women, had been elected as unopposed.

In Shopian, seven Sarpanches had been elected unopposed while five Sarpanches won uncontested in Bhallesa block of Doda. Two Sarpanches were elected uncontested in Kalaroos and one each in Kralpora and Pampore.

Thirty-seven Panches were elected unopposed in Kalaroos, 17 in Kralpora, 52 in Pampore, 244 in Shopian and 135 in Bhallesa.

A highest number of 107 Panch constituencies went uncontested in Shopian block followed by 39 in Pampore in Pulwama. Two Sarpanch constituencies remained uncontested in Pampore. In Bhallesa also, three Panch segments went uncontested.

Out of a total of 20,306 votes, 17,057 exercised their right to franchise in Kalaroos block of Kupwara while 2349 votes were polled from a total of 2610 in Kralpora block of Kupwara district.

In Pampore block of Pulwama district, 24,307 from 46,458 votes were cast while in Shopian, 67,266 votes were polled from a total of 1.06 lakh.

In Nobra block of Leh, 706 votes were polled from a total of 857 while in Panamik block, 1123 votes were cast from 1551. In Nyoma block, 1215 people turned up for voting from a total of 1687 while in Durbuk block of Leh, 277 people exercised their right to franchise from 354.

In Bhallesa block of Doda district, 35,362 people exercised their right to franchise from 41,707.