Stage set for 5th phase of J&K panchayat polls

All arrangements have been made for the fifth phase of the nine-phased panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, state Chief Electoral Officer Shaleen Kabra said Wednesday.

The polling for the fifth phase will be held at 2,512 polling stations, including 1,743 stations in Jammu division and 769 in Kashmir division, from 8 am to 2 pm, he said.

The officer said 848 polling stations have been categorised as 'hypersensitive', including 755 in Kashmir division and 93 in Jammu division.

He said 4,763 candidates are in the fray for 309 sarpanch and 1,534 panch seats in the fifth phase, while 118 sarpanchs and 1,046 panchs have been elected unopposed.

In the areas going to polls on Thursday, an electorate of 4,04,283 will be voting for sarpanch constituencies and 2,70,295 for panch constituencies, Kabra said.

The chief electoral officer (CEO) said photo voter slips have been distributed among the voters to inform them of their polling stations.

In the first phase of the panchayat polls held on November 17, an estimated 74.1 per cent polling was recorded across the state, including 64.5 per cent in Kashmir division and 79.4 per cent in Jammu division.

In the second phase held on November 20, overall