LS polls: 43 percent voters turn out in J&K

Srinagar: Over 43 per cent of 13.57 lakh voters cast their votes in the last leg of the five-phased polls today in Jammu and Kashmir where 19 candidates are in the fray for the two Lok Sabha seats of Baramulla and Ladakh.

Baramulla constituency, from where National Conference sitting MP Sharief-ud-din Shariq is locked in multi-cornered contest, recorded 39.6 per cent polling while Ladakh registered a poll turn out of 65 per cent to choose their representative among the four candidates in the fray. Baramulla had recorded a voter turnout of 41.84 per cent in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, while Ladakh had recorded a poll turnout of 71.86 per cent five years back. "The tentative voter turnout for the Baramulla Parliamentary constituency is 39.6 per cent, while Ladakh constituency registered a voter turnout of 65 per cent," Chief Electoral Officer of Jammu and Kashmir Umang Narula told reporters here. The voter turnout figures might change as last reports from some of the polling stations are yet to be received, he said. In Baramulla constituency, Kupwara district registered the highest voter turnout of 63.19 per cent followed by Bandipora district at 35.65 per cent. Baramulla district recorded a voting percentage of 25.04 per cent. The constituency has a total of 11,96,120 electorate including 5.45 women, Narula said. Among the 1,59,631 voters in Ladakh constituency, Kargil district led in the voting turnout with 65.80 per cent casting their ballots. Leh district which is also part of the constituency witnessed a turnout of 64.0 per cent, he said.