Srinagar, Nov 30: A large number of people participated in the first ever District Development Council (DDC) polls in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, amid the Pandemic. 51.7 per cent voting was recorded for the phase one peacefully without any untoward incident.

 

The DDC elections in J&K are the first major polls being conducted across the Kashmir Valley, since the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the state into two separate UTs of J&K and Ladakh. 43 DDC constituencies went to polls on Nov 28, which included 25 in the Kashmir Valley and 18 in the Jammu divison where 7 lakh voters were registered.

 

In the Jammu divison, the voting per cent was 64.2 percent and in Kashmir Valley, 40.65 percent voting was recorded. In the same division, highest percentage of 74.6 percent of voting was recording in Reasi district followed by Rajouri, Poonch and Samba districts where 70.5 per cent, 68.9 percent and 68 per cent voting was recorded respectively.

 

In the Kashmir valley, highest voting of 42.58 percent was recorded in Shopian district and lowest voting of 6.08 percent was recorded in Pulwama district.

 

In the first phase, there were 296 candidates to compete, which include 207 men and 89 women. The elections were held using ballot papers.