Amid grenade attack in Pulwama, J&K registers 3.6% polling

Leh/Srinagar, May 6 (IANS) Militants hurled a grenade at a polling station in Pulwama district on Monday even as Ladakh and Anantnag Lok Sabha seats recorded a turnout of 3.6 per cent in the first three hours.

Police said militants hurled the grenade at Rohmoo polling station in which exploded without causing any damage.

Brisk voting was underway in Leh and Kargil districts of Ladakh Lok Sabha seat, poll officials saids, as voter turnout was dismal in Shopian and Pulwama districts of Anantnag.

While in Leh and Kargil districts 20,155 votes were cast between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., just 4,549 votes were polled in Shopian and Pulwama in the same period. There are 5,22,530 voters in these two districts.

In Ladakh, the total electorate is 1,74,618.

Most of the polling stations in Shopian and Pulwama wore a deserted look. Polling was being held in the Anantnag Lok Sabha seat for the third and final phase.

Although polling began at the same time in both the Lok Sabha seats, but it will end at 4 p.m. in Anantnag constituency and 6 p.m. in Ladakh constituency.

There are 18 candidates in fray in Anantnag, but the main contest is between Mehbooba Mufti of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ghulam Ahmad Mir of Congress and Justice (retired) Hasnain Masoodi of the National Conference.

In the hilly Shahdab Karewa village of Shopian district, voters have come out in good numbers.

In Ladakh, where the contest is four-cornered between Jamyang Tsering Namgyal of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Rigzin Spalbar of the Congress and two independents, Haji Asgar Ali Karbalai and Sajjad Hussain, voters have shown a steady attendance at the booths.

The votes will be counted on May 23.