SRINAGAR: Almost 52 percent turnout was recorded Saturday in the maiden District Development Council (DDC), the first election exercise in Jammu and Kashmir since the repeal of Article 370.
Saturday’s first round of voting in the eight-phase DDC elections proceeded peacefully, except for one minor stoning incident in Kulgam.
State Elections Commissioner KK Sharma told reporters that 51.76 percent of the 700,842 eligible voters exercised their right to vote during voting that began at 7 a.m. and ended at 2 p.m.
Reasi in Jammu recorded the highest voter turnout of 74.62 percent, while the terror-infested Pulwama witnessed the lowest voter turnout at 6.7 percent.
Sharma said the vote was peaceful throughout the Union, except for a stoning incident that took place in the Kulgam district in southern Kashmir.
In the first phase of the DDC elections, voting took place in 43 constituencies, including 25 in Kashmir, and 1,475 candidates were in the fray, according to officials.
It is the first election since the Center eliminated Article 370 that granted J&K special status in August last year and divided the state into UT.
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