Voting for the fifth phase of District Development Council (DDC) polls was under way in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday.
As many as 37 DDC constituencies and vacant sarpanch and panch seats are witnessing polls in the fifth phase.
Reports of voters lining up at polling booths amid severe cold have poured in from various parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
In Kashmir, voters donning pherans (woollen cloaks), worn in winter in Kashmir to keep warm, were queuing up at polling booths to cast their vote. The polling began at 7am and will end at 2pm.
The DDC polls in Jammu and Kashmir are being held for the first time after the Centre amended the J&K Panchayat Raj Act, 1989, after the revocation of Article 370 last year.
According to State Election Commissioner K.K. Sharma, of the 37 DDC constituencies witnessing polls in the fifth phase, voting will be conducted in 17 in Kashmir division and 20 in Jammu division.
There are 155 candidates in the fray, including 30 females, in Kashmir division and 144, including 40 females, in Jammu division
Of the 125 sarpanch vacancies that have been notified in the fifth phase, 30 have been elected unopposed.
Out of the total 1,412 panch vacancies notified in the fifth phase, elections are taking place in 218 constituencies. There are 527 contestants, including 137 female candidates.
Adequate security and safety measures against COVID-19 pandemic have been made by the authorities for the polling staff and voters. Sanitisers, thermal scanners and face masks have been arranged at the polling stations to ensure that SOPs are adhered to.
The DDC polls have become a high-voltage contest between the BJP and the seven regional parties of Kashmir who have formed the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration. The alliance is seeking the restoration of Article 370 and statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. On August 4 last year, the seven parties had passed a resolution at the residence of NC president and MP Farooq Abdullah at Gupkar Road in favour of Article 370.
