8 years ago
Srinagar:
Polling for the first phase of panchayat election in Jammu and Kashmir began on Saturday amidst stringent security arrangements. Moderate polling was witnessed in the early hours of polling in the Kashmir valley as 18.5 per cent of the electorate voted till 11 AM. Officials said 427 candidates were in the fray for 536 sarpanch halqas and 5,951 candidates for 4,048 panch wards in the first phase. While the polls were being conducted on a non-party basis, the National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party and the CPI(M) have announced to stay away from the elections due to the legal challenge to Article 35A of the Constitution in the Supreme Court.
