Expectedly, Jammu region turns up in large numbers

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 8

Defying the boycott call and terror threats, the Jammu region on Monday witnessed a brisk voting in the first phase with nearly 75 per cent voters turning out to repose their faith in strengthening of the democratic institutions at the grass-roots level.

While the plains in the region witnessed a heavy polling, the mountainous twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri, where political awareness is relatively more, registered an unprecedented turnout.

The polling for the first phase of the four-phase elections comprising 238 wards of 15 civic bodies of the Jammu region, including the Jammu municipal corporation, was held on Monday to decide the fate of 1,010 candidates. The elections were held for 153 wards of Jammu district, 26 of Poonch and 59 of Rajouri. Nine candidates — one from Arnia of Jammu, one from Nowshera and three from Thanamandi of Rajouri, and four from Surankote of Poonch — have already been elected unopposed. The civic elections are taking place after 13 years in J&K.

Voters started queuing up early in the morning at polling stations in border town of Arnia, RS Pura, Jourian, Sunderbani, Poonch and Nowshera areas of Jammu and Rajouri districts. Similar scenes were witnessed in other areas, such as Akhnoor, Bishnah, and many parts of Jammu town.

“We are here to cast our votes to elect our representatives for the municipal committee,” Tilak Raj, a resident of Bishnah, said. He was among 50 voters, who had reached the office of the Block Development Officer, which had been turned into a polling station, before the polling began at 7 am.

Rajiv Sharma, standing in a long queue at Government Middle School, Purana Pind, RS Pura, said voting was their democratic right so he along with his wife had decided to cast their votes before starting their routine work. “After a gap over more than a decade, the government has decided to conduct civic elections so there is enthusiasm among voters,” he said.

The urban local bodies elections were announced in September, but two major political parties — National Conference and PDP — have boycotted the process accusing the Centre of not taking a firm stand on protection of Article 35A of the Constitution which is facing a legal challenge in the Supreme Court.