Srinagar: Defying boycott call by separatists and chilly weather, nearly 54 per cent of the 15.35 lakh electorate voted in the first six hours of polling in the second phase of Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir today which was by and large peaceful.
Serpentine queues were visible at several polling stations where voters waited for their turn.
As per election officials, 53.91 per cent polling was recorded in the state till 2 P.M.
A total of 18 seats went to polls in the second of the five phases over which Assembly elections are to be held in J-K. In the fray are 175 candidates, including four sitting ministers of the coalition government.
Ignoring the separatists' call to shun the vote, electors in the five districts emulated the trend seen in the first phase by turning up at polling booths in large numbers at 8 A.M., the scheduled start of voting. It was heading towards a virtual replay of the impressive 71.28 per cent turnout in the first phase.
The Gool Arnas Assembly segment recorded the highest turnout of 66.02 per cent followed by Reasi with 65 per cent. Gulabgarh saw 64.19 per cent of the voters coming out to take part in the polling while Udhampur and Ramnagar had 63.27 and 62.42 per cent electors, respectively, casting their vote till 2 P.M.
Mendhar saw 61.50 per cent polling till 2 P.M. followed by Surankote (60.91 pc), Poonch Haveli (58 pc), Chenani (56.36 pc), Karnah (54 pc), Lalab and Handwara (both 51 pc, Langate (49 pc), Kupwara (48 pc), Noorabad (47.87 pc), Devsar (45 pc), Kulgam (40 pc) and Homshalibaug (27.01 pc). Enthusiastic voters braved the chill to queue up outside polling stations in Udhampur, Poonch, Chenani, Ramnagar and Reasi constituencies.
Although the cold weather conditions and heavy fog posed a hindrance in some areas in the early hours, voters started flocking the polling stations as the day progressed and the sun came out.
