Srinagar bypoll: Farooq Abdullah ahead of PDP's Nazir Khan by 9,000 votes

National Conference President and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah was on Saturday leading by over 9,000 votes over his PDP rival Nazir Ahmad Khan after the 17th round of counting of votes cast in the Srinagar-Budgam Lok Sabha by-election.

Of the 89,865 votes polled, 56,119 votes have been counted, election officials said

The counting of votes began at 8 am. Voting was held on April 9, wherein only seven per cent voters turned out to exercise their franchise.

However, after the violence in which eight civilians were killed by security forces in clashes with protesters, a re-poll was ordered for April 13 at 38 polling stations in Budgam district, in which a mere 2 per cent voters turned out.

There are nine candidates in the fray, but the main battle is between former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah and Nazir Ahmad Khan.

Separatists had called for a boycott of these polls.

State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Shantmanu who visited the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar on Friday, where the counting is scheduled, said counting of votes would begin simultaneously in Jammu, Udhampur and New Delhi where Kashmiri migrants had voted.