By IRNA,
Srinagar : About 62 per cent voters exercised their right of franchise in the five Assembly constituencies of besieged northern Kashmir district of Kupwara which went to the polls Sunday in the third phase of Assembly Elections 2008 in the State.
Defying the poll boycott call of the Hurriyat Conference and braving the severe winter chill, as also thick early morning fog in North Kashmir, voters queued up outside polling stations in all the five segments, this correspondent witnessed.
The frontier district however remained sealed off with a massive security ring thrown around it with its entry and exit points sealed off by the Indian forces to foil any attempt by Hurriyat Conference to disrupt polling.
The rest of Kashmir Valley meanwhile reeled under an undeclared curfew.
While briefing the media persons, here in the evening, Chief Electoral Officer, Mr. B. R. Sharma, said that the polling in all the five constituencies was held smoothly and in a peaceful manner, adding that there were no reports of violence from anywhere in the district.
Giving details, the Chief Electoral Officer said that Karnah Assembly constituency recorded 79 per cent voter turnout, Kupwara 60.52, Lolab 64.05, Handwara 59.07 and Langate Assembly constituency recorded 53.56 per cent voter turnout.
Sharma said that these are tentative figures as the information from 38 far-flung polling stations in the district is still awaited, adding that this could further raise the overall polling percentage.
The polling stations from were the reports are yet awaited include two in Karnah, 11 in Kupwara, 10 in Lolab, seven in Handwara and eight in Langate.
He said that today’s poll percentage in Kupwara district is much higher as compared to the 2002 Assembly elections. Sharma said that 480 polling stations had been set up in the district were 71 contestants were in the fray.