Jammu And Kashmir Urban Polls

Jammu and Kashmir is all set to witness its first elections since being reorganised as a Union Territory last year with the maiden District Development Council (DDC) polls beginning on Saturday, officials said.

Kashmir recorded 71.1 per voter turnout in the fifth phase of the urban local body polls, state Chief Electoral Officer Shaleen Kabra said.

Former National Conference leader Junaid Azim Mattu, who quit the party to contest the urban local body polls in Jammu and Kashmir, was elected Mayor of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) on Tuesday with the support from the BJP and the Peoples Conference. Mr Mattu secured 40 votes while Congress candidate for the mayoral post Ghulam Rasool H...

Buoyed by the Urban Local Bodies (ULB) election results in Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP today said it is hopeful to win over 50 assembly seats in the next elections and form a government on its own in the state.

The BJP has emerged as the clear winner of Jammu province in the urban local body polls conducted earlier this month, securing seven of the region's 10 districts. However, while the party managed to hold on to its traditional stronghold, it ended up losing many municipal committees to Independent candidates as well as rival parties.

The BJP failed to open its account in Jammu and Kashmir's Ladakh region in the urban local body elections held earlier this month.

The BJP emerged victorious in the urban local body elections in four districts of south Kashmir today, winning 53 of the 132 wards, where voting was held in four phases earlier this month, election officials said.

The counting of votes for the recently concluded municipal polls began in Jammu and Kashmir this morning. Counting of votes started at 8 am.

The stage is set for the final leg of urban local body elections in Jammu and Kashmir as the counting of votes for the 52 civic bodies, polling for which was held in four phases earlier this month, will be done today.

The just-concluded urban local body elections in Kashmir witnessed poor voter turnout but these polls will perhaps be remembered for the dearth of contestants as 69 per cent of 598 wards in the valley did not require any polling.

"Not a bird was harmed" and the civic elections were conducted peacefully, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik said today.

Once again Kashmir observed a near-total boycott of elections in the valley. But for the first time in recent memory, the boycott was civil and peaceful. There was not a single incident of poll-related violence during the fourth and final phase Urban Local Bodies elections today.

Continuing the trend of low voter turnout, only 1.8 per cent of electorate cast their votes in the first four hours of polling in Kashmir during the fourth and final phase of urban bodies elections in the state on Tuesday, officials said.

National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah today criticised the Centre's handling of Kashmir, seeking reasons for the all-time low voter turnout in the ongoing urban local body polls.

Voting has started in the third phase of the Jammu and Kashmir urban local body elections this morning. Sources said there is likely to be no change in the trend of low voter turnout in Kashmir valley as most of the wards going to the polls are in downtown city areas and south Kashmir, where there has been tension over the elections.

Jammu and Kashmir is all set to witness its first elections since being reorganised as a Union Territory last year with the maiden District Development Council (DDC) polls beginning on Saturday, officials said.

Kashmir recorded 71.1 per voter turnout in the fifth phase of the urban local body polls, state Chief Electoral Officer Shaleen Kabra said.

Former National Conference leader Junaid Azim Mattu, who quit the party to contest the urban local body polls in Jammu and Kashmir, was elected Mayor of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) on Tuesday with the support from the BJP and the Peoples Conference. Mr Mattu secured 40 votes while Congress candidate for the mayoral post Ghulam Rasool H...

Buoyed by the Urban Local Bodies (ULB) election results in Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP today said it is hopeful to win over 50 assembly seats in the next elections and form a government on its own in the state.

The BJP has emerged as the clear winner of Jammu province in the urban local body polls conducted earlier this month, securing seven of the region's 10 districts. However, while the party managed to hold on to its traditional stronghold, it ended up losing many municipal committees to Independent candidates as well as rival parties.

The BJP failed to open its account in Jammu and Kashmir's Ladakh region in the urban local body elections held earlier this month.

The BJP emerged victorious in the urban local body elections in four districts of south Kashmir today, winning 53 of the 132 wards, where voting was held in four phases earlier this month, election officials said.

The counting of votes for the recently concluded municipal polls began in Jammu and Kashmir this morning. Counting of votes started at 8 am.

The stage is set for the final leg of urban local body elections in Jammu and Kashmir as the counting of votes for the 52 civic bodies, polling for which was held in four phases earlier this month, will be done today.

The just-concluded urban local body elections in Kashmir witnessed poor voter turnout but these polls will perhaps be remembered for the dearth of contestants as 69 per cent of 598 wards in the valley did not require any polling.

"Not a bird was harmed" and the civic elections were conducted peacefully, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik said today.

Once again Kashmir observed a near-total boycott of elections in the valley. But for the first time in recent memory, the boycott was civil and peaceful. There was not a single incident of poll-related violence during the fourth and final phase Urban Local Bodies elections today.

Continuing the trend of low voter turnout, only 1.8 per cent of electorate cast their votes in the first four hours of polling in Kashmir during the fourth and final phase of urban bodies elections in the state on Tuesday, officials said.

National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah today criticised the Centre's handling of Kashmir, seeking reasons for the all-time low voter turnout in the ongoing urban local body polls.

Voting has started in the third phase of the Jammu and Kashmir urban local body elections this morning. Sources said there is likely to be no change in the trend of low voter turnout in Kashmir valley as most of the wards going to the polls are in downtown city areas and south Kashmir, where there has been tension over the elections.