We are alert for smooth polls: IG CRPF Kashmir

Polling for the first phase of the first-ever elections to the District Development Councils in Jammu and Kashmir began on Saturday morning. Forty-three out of 280 constituencies in the UT are going to polls in the first phase of DDC elections. The polling will end at 2 pm.

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Amid the ongoing voting for first-ever District Development Council elections in Jammu and Kashmir and by-polls for Panchayat seats, the security forces in Kashmir said that so far smooth polls are going on.

IGP CRPF Kashmir Charu Sinha said that the tight security arrangements have been out in place for smooth voting.

"We are alert for smooth polling," Sinha said.

She said that voting is ongoing and more voters are coming out to cast their votes.

Voting for phase 1 of DDC and Panchayat by-polls are going on in Jammu and Kashmir in which 1457 candidates are contesting for 43 DDC seats and nearly 460 Panchayat seats in the UT.

Following the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A on August 5, last year, the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir went for its first major electoral exercise, District Development Council (DDC) polls to be held from today.

According to the officials, elections for 12,153 panchayat constituencies will also be conducted along with the DDC polls and out of these, 11,814 are in the Valley while the rest 339 are in Jammu.