J&K municipal polls: 820 polling stations in 321 municipal wards

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A total of 820 polling stations have been set up in 321 municipal wards for municipal polls starting on Monday in Jammu and Kashmir with 1,204 candidates in the fray but with voter participation uncertain in the Kashmir Valley.

Shaleen Kabra, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the state, said voting will start at 7 am and end at 4.00 pm.

Of the total, 150 polling stations have been designated in Kashmir division and 670 in Jammu division. 

"In Kashmir division, 138 polling stations have been categorized as hypersensitive while in Jammu division 52 polling stations have been categorized as hypersensitive.

A total of 78 candidates have already been elected unopposed, Kabra said.

The electorate for the first phase of the elections on Monday is 586,064, he said.

He said Photo Voter Slips have been distributed among the voters informing them about their polling station.

"Adequate security arrangements have been made," the official said. 

The CEO urged voters to exercise their right to franchise in order to choose their local self-government to address their local needs.

The municipal elections are being held in four phases, covering 79 municipal bodies with an electorate of about 17 lakh. 

A total of 3,372 nominations have been filed for 1,145 wards. Polling will take place on October 8, 10, 13 and 16.