About 62 per cent voters exercised their right of franchise in the five Assembly constituencies of Kupwara district which went to the polls in the third phase of Assembly Elections 2008 in the State, today.

This was stated by the Chief Electoral Officer, J&K, Mr. B. R. Sharma, while briefing the media persons, here this evening, about the polling in the five constituencies of Karnah, Kupwara, Lolab, Handwara and Langate. He said that the polling in all the five constituencies was held smoothly and in a peaceful manner, adding that there were no reports of violence from anywhere in the district.

Giving details, the Chief Electoral Officer said that Karnah Assembly constituency recorded 79 per cent voter turnout, Kupwara 60.52, Lolab 64.05, Handwara 59.07 and Langate Assembly constituency recorded 53.56 per cent voter turnout.

Mr. Sharma said that these are tentative figures as the information from 38 far-flung polling stations in the district is still awaited, adding that this could further raise the overall polling percentage. The polling stations from were the reports are yet awaited include two in Karnah, 11 in Kupwara, 10 in Lolab, seven in Handwara and eight in Langate. He said that today’s poll percentage in Kupwara district is much higher as compared to the 2002 Assembly elections. Mr. Sharma said that 480 polling stations had been set up in the district.

The Chief Electoral Officer also gave details about the migrant voters, who also exercised their right of franchise for various constituencies of Kupwara district at Jammu, Udhampur and Delhi.
The Chief Electoral Officer said that 375 Micro Observers had been deployed in the five Assembly constituencies of Kupwara district for monitoring the poll process to ensure free, fair and transparent elections. He said that there are 71 contestants in fray in the district.

Incidentally, during the 2002 Assembly elections, the Kupwara district had grappled with the loss of a sitting MLA when terrorists struck.

The person to lose his life to terrorists in September 2002, in the first phase of elections, was Mushtaq Ahmed Lone, a minister in the government headed by Farooq Abdullah.

Overall, voting has been held in three phases in J&K so far and in all three phases, the polling percentage has been higher as compared to the 2002 figures.