Jammu, December 9: Over eight lakh voters will decide the fate of 299 candidates contesting in the fifth phase of the District Development Council (DDC) elections in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. The polling will be held between 7 AM and 2 PM in 37 constituencies -- 17 in Kashmir and 20 Jammu divisions.

Besides DDC elections, polling will be conducted for panchayat bypolls in 58 posts of sarpanch and 218 vacant panch seats, State Election Commissioner (SEC) K K Sharma said.

In the 17 DDC constituencies of Kashmir division, 155 candidates, including 30 women, are in the fray. In Jammu division, 144 candidates, including 40 women, are contesting in this phase. Also Read | Delhi Air Pollution: CM Arvind Kejriwal Inaugurates Truck-Mounted Anti-Smog Gun to Combat Dust Pollution in National Capital.

"There are 125 sarpanch vacancies which have been notified in the fifth phase and out of these 30 have been elected unopposed. There shall be a contest in 58 constituencies and 175 candidates, including 51 women, are in the fray," the SEC said.

Out of the total 1,412 panch vacancies notified in this phase, 218 constituencies will go for elections with 527 candidates, including 137 women, he said. In the fifth phase, he said, 8,27,519 electors are eligible to cast their votes -- 4,33,285 men and 3,94,234 women. Among these, 4,39,529 are from Jammu division and 3,87,990 from Kashmir division.

The official said 2,104 polling stations have been set up across the union territory for this phase. Of 2,104 polling stations, 1,193 are hypersensitive, 472 sensitive and 439 have been categorised as normal, he added. Also Read | COVID-19 Vaccine: With Trials of Zydus Cadila, Bharat Biotech and Sputnik V, Kanpur Emerges Centre of Clinical Tests in India.

In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, adequate arrangements have been put in place to ensure the safety of all stakeholders, including the voters. Sanitisers, thermal scanners and face masks have been arranged at the polling stations to ensure that SOPs issued by authorities are followed at the polling stations.

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