Pahalgam, Oct 08: Voting evoked mixed response at the four polling stations in Pahalgam segment of south Kashmir's Anantnag district, where election commission had ordered a repoll, with people enthusiastically exercising their franchise at two of them and staying away from the other two. More than 40 per cent votes were cast with barely an hour left for the scheduled end for polling at Hadrekutal-Sofiapora and Wullerhama polling stations while Batkoot and Batkoot (A) registered barely over 10 per cent of the total votes.
At Hadrekuthal, long queues were seen outside the polling stations. Around 25 per cent of the 913 votes were cast by 1:00 pm and the officials here expected the figure to cross the 50 per cent mark.

The scene was similar at the nearby Wullerhama polling station but there was an odd complaint of "coercion" by security forces here and there. However, the fervour with which people exercised their franchise did not substantiate the allegations.
The situation at the two polling stations at Batkoot was opposite to that of the earlier two polling stations. Besides security forces, polling staff and agents of the candidates, there was hardly a soul around the polling booth. After a wait of more than half-an-hour, an 80-year-old turned up to vote.
The two polling stations with a combined voter strength of 1604 had registered only 153 votes. A security official guarding the polling station blamed the low poll percentage for the strong militant presence in the area.
Election Commission had ordered a repoll in the four polling stations following allegations of malpractices during the earlier polls held on Oct 1. Bureau Report