Jammu And Kashmir DDC Elections 2020: Voting For First Phase of District Development Council Polls Begins in 43 Constituencies; 296 Candidates in Fray
The voting for the first phase of District Development Council (DDC) elections in Jammu and Kashmir is underway. A total of 1,427 candidates are in the fray, and the polling is taking place in 43 constituencies. Seven lakh voters will exercise their franchise in these elections. There are a total of 280 constituencies in which DDC elections will take place.
Srinagar, November 28: The voting for the first phase of District Development Council (DDC) elections in Jammu and Kashmir has begun on Friday. It is the first-ever DDC elections which are taking place in the union territory after the abrogation of Article 370. The polling is taking place in 43 constituencies in the Phase-I. Seven lakh voters will exercise their franchise in these elections. J&K District Development Council Elections 2020: Voting to be Held in 8 Phases Beginning from November 28, Counting on December 22.
There are a total of 280 constituencies in which DDC elections will take place. The first phase of polling is underway in 43 constituencies from 7 am to 2 pm. According to State Election Commissioner KK Sharma, 296 candidates are in the poll fray, comprising 207 males and 89 females for DDC elections in phase- I. A total of 1,427 candidates are in the fray in the DDC elections.
The State Election Commissioner said 2,146 polling stations have been set up for the smooth conduct of elections of phase-I. "As many as 7 lakh voters shall use their right to vote in phase I of polling tomorrow. Out of 7 lakh voters, more than 3.72 lakh are from the Kashmir division and 3.28 lakh are from the Jammu division," Sharma told reporters. J&K: Candidates Contesting DDC Polls Will Get Adequate Security, Says Election Commissioner.
Similarly, in panchs bypolls, which are going to be held in 368 constituencies, 852 candidates are in the electoral fray out of which 635 are male, and 217 are female. Sharma said all arrangements have been completed besides manpower, election material and adequate deployment of security forces have been put in place.
On the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the SEC urged the people to follow the guidelines issued by the Election Commission, besides using face masks and maintaining social distance during polling. He also said sanitizers and face masks should be provided to the voters, in case they forget to carry their own.
The SEC appealed to the people to come forward to participate in the biggest festival of democracy and urged them to cast their votes. The DDC election and the panchayat bypolls are being held in eight phases from November 28 to December 19. The counting of votes will be taken on December 22.
(With inputs from PTI)
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 28, 2020 08:58 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).