5.07 pc voter turnout in Srinagar LS seat in first 2 hours

Srinagar, May 13 (IANS) As clouds split and the warm May sun peeped out, voters continued to come out and form queues outside most polling stations in the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency.

During the first two hours since voting started at 7 a.m., 5.07 per cent overall voter turnout was recorded.

Chadoora voting segment has witnessed the highest voter turnout of 9.62 per cent while Char-e-Shareef witnessed 8.30 per cent, Channapora 2.77 per cent, Eidgah 4.70 per cent, Ganderbal 8.83 per cent, Kangan (ST) 7.89 per cent, Khan Sahib 3.23 per cent, Habba Kadal 2.10 per cent, Hazratbal 3.55 per cent, Khanyar zero, Lal Chowk 3.23 per cent, Pampore 4.61 per cent, Pulwama 5.14 per cent, Rajpora 5.87 per cent, Shopian 7.03 per cent, Tral 3.70 per cent and Zadibal 3.25 per cent.

This is the first election in Kashmir after 1987 when the separatists did not call for a poll boycott.

This is also the first Lok Sabha election after the abrogation of Article 370 and downgrading of J&K into a union territory.

The eagerness of the people to cast their vote was witnessed everywhere except the Khanyar voting segment in Srinagar city where no vote had been cast till 9 a.m.

Even in the once perceived hotbed of separatist sentiment in the Valley, the old city areas of Srinagar, voters came out without any fear to cast their vote.

Authorities have made elaborate security arrangements to provide a fearless voting environment to the people.

Despite a large number of security forces deployed in the entire constituency, there is no tension or fear anywhere in the constituency.

At many places, smiling voters exchanged greetings with the deployed troopers with some even displaying their fingers to show the indelible ink mark.

There are 17,47,810 including 8,75,938 male, 8,71,808 female and 64 third-gender voters in the constituency.

ECI has set up 2135 polling stations including 1004 urban and 1131 rural polling stations in the constituency.

There are 24 candidates in the fray in this constituency although the main contest is between Syed Ruhullah Mehdi of the National Conference (NC), Waheed ur Rehman Parra of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Mohd Ashraf Mir of the J&K Apni Party.

The voting started at 7 a.m. and will end at 6 p.m.