The fifth phase of polling for the District Development Council (DDC) in Jammu and Kashmir began at 7 am, on Thursday, 10 December. A total of 37 constituencies – 20 in Jammu and 17 in Kashmir witnessed polling till 2 pm.
As per State Election Commission of Jammu & Kashmir, the UT recorded 51.2 percent polling in the 5th phase of the election across different constituencies spread over several districts amid the dipping temperatures.
A total of 4,22,511 votes were cast.
Voting is also being held for 58 vacant sarpanch and 218 vacant panch seats.
In the 17 DDC constituencies of Kashmir, there are 155 candidates in the fray, including 30 women, while in the Jammu division, 144 candidates, including 40 women, are contesting.
In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, adequate arrangements were put in place to ensure the safety of all stake holders, including the voters.
Sanitisers, thermal scanners and face masks were arranged at the polling stations to ensure that SOPs issued by the authorities were strictly followed.
DDC elections and panchayat bypolls are being held in eight phases from 28 November to 19 December. The counting of votes will take place on 22 December.
(With inputs from IANS)
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