JUST IN

On JRL call, poll-bound areas remain shut , polls continue

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SRINAGAR: A complete shutdown is being observed in the areas where polling is underway for the second phase of civic polls in Kashmir valley on Wednesday.

Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), an amalgam of separatist outfits – has called for a shutdown in the poll-bound areas today.

All shops and other business establishments are closed in poll-bound areas of Srinagar and other parts of the Valley while public transport is off the roads.

In rest of the areas where polling is not being held today, life has remained mostly unaffected. Shops are open in the commercial hub of Lal Chowk and public transport is plying on the Residency and MA roads.

The elections are being held amid tight security.  Authorities have reduced the mobile Internet speed to 2G in Srinagar.

Mobile Internet speed has been reduced to 2G in Srinagar.

Meanwhile at 3PM: Sumbal municipal council records 28.64 per cent polling until 2pm

2:20: Municipal Polls-2018 (Phase-II): Poll percentage at 12 noon released by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, J&K

Anantnag 0.8 per cent; Bandipora 22.2 per cent; Baramulla 3.7 per cent; Kupwara 3.3 per cent; Srinagar 1.4 per cent; Kishtwar 55.9 per cent; Doda 57.8 per cent; Ramban 62.9 per cent; Reasi 60.8 per cent; Udhampur 50.8 per cent; Kathua 59.4 per cent.

12:20 PM: Brisk polling in Sumbal Muncipal Committee, 22 per cent poling recorded till 12 noon.

Voting percentage till 10 am:

Anantnag (0.6), Bandipora (14.2), Baramulla (1.1), Kupwara (3.0), Srinagar (0.8), Kishtwar (34.1), Doda (36.5), Ramban (35.1), Reasi (35.7), Udhampur (30.2) and Kathua (39.4)

10:22 AM: 14.16 per cent polling recorded in MC Sumbal till 10 am

9:50 AM: Nine votes out of 10,000 cast until 9 AM in Fateh Kadal in Downtown Srinagar

Votes polled till 9AM:

Batamaloo Ziyarat 10; SD colony Batmaloo 04: Aloochi Bagh 66; Karan Nagar 0; Solina 143

9:30 AM: 9.41 per cent votes polled until 9 AM in Municipal Committee Sumbal: 2.61 per cent votes polled in MC Langate until 9AM

9AM: 12.43 votes polled until 8 am in MC Banihal. Shutdown in poll bound areas on the call of Joint Resistance Leadership

Voting began at 6 am on Wednesday morning amid stringent security arrangements, officials said.

They said the voting would take place at 544 polling stations across the state and would end at 4 pm.

The officials said 1,029 candidates – 881 in Jammu division and 148 in Kashmir division – are in the fray for 263 municipal wards, including 49 in Kashmir and 214 in Jammu.

A total of 65 candidates – 61 of them from Kashmir valley – have already won the polls uncontested, while in 56 wards all in the valley – no nomination was received, so no polling is taking place in those places, they said.

As many as 270 polling stations have been designated for voting in Kashmir Division and 274 in Jammu Division, they added.

The officials said the total electorate in these wards is 346,980 – 128,104 in Jammu Division belonging to 18 Municipal bodies and 218,876 in Kashmir Division of five Municipal bodies.

They said massive security arrangements have been put in place to ensure smooth conduct of the polls.

The elections, covering 79 municipal bodies with an electorate of about 17 lakh, are being held in four phases.

A total of 3,372 nominations have been filed for 1,145 wards. The next phases will take place on October 13 and 16.

The National Conference (NC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the CPI(M) have boycotted the polls to protest the the legal challenge to Article 35A of the Constitution in the Supreme Court.

The government has declared holiday on the day of poll in the municipal areas concerned to enable voters cast their vote.
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