Anantnag,April 30 – Polling is picking up steady pace across all 16 Assembly segments of Anantnag Parliamentary constituency with young and old queuing up at various polling stations to cast their ballot early morning today. The picturesque Anantnag PC is the first and the largest in Kashmir division going to polls in the third phase of five-phased Lok Sabha elections in the State.
The poll percentage in Anantnag Parliamentary constituency (PC), where polling is currently on, has crossed 2004 overall voter turnout with 17.21 per cent voters exercising their franchise till 1 p.m. A voter turnout of 15.04 had been recorded in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls.
Pahalgam Assembly segment of Anantnag district leads with 39 per cent, followed by Noorabad segment of Kulgam district where 38.61 per cent voter turnout has been recorded by 1 p.m. Shangus Assembly segment 26.92, again in Kulgam district, recorded a poll percentage of 26 per cent till 1 pm
Reports of brisk polling are emanating from Noorabad Assembly segment where 11 per cent polling had been recorded in the first two hours of polling, followed by Devsar and Bijbehera Assembly segments with 6 per cent each. Dooru Assembly segment recorded voting percentage of 5.5 till 9 am.
In Shangus Assembly segment, voters are also coming out in good number to exercise their right of franchise. Ms. Usha Pandita, 50, was among 45 electors who cast her vote at 44-A polling station at Nowgam in the same Assembly segment. In nearby 53-A-C1 polling station, as many as 100 votes were cast out of 811 during the first two hours of polling.
In Noorabad Assembly segment of Anantnag PC, first-time voter, Mr. Farooq Ahmad Bhat was the first to cast his vote at 29-A polling station at Sahibabad. Similarly, Ms. Firdousa and Ms. Afroza, first-time voters, cast their ballot at 35-C polling station in Shangus Assembly segment and 08 polling station, Arhama, in Kokernag Assembly segment respectively.
At 33-PS at Khasiteng, Zirpora, in Bijbehara segment, Mr. Ghulam Nabi Karchoo cast his vote at dot 7 a. m. while as at 43-B polling station at Kanilwan, 45 votes were cast out of 618 in the first 60 minutes of voting.
Not allowing age to intervene in their democratic right to choose their representative, 80-year-old Mr. Ghulam Ahmad Darzi and 75-year-old Mr. Mohammad Akbar, cast their ballot at 35-C polling station in Shangus Assembly segment of Kulgam district and 58-PS at Zawoora, in Shopian Assembly segment respectively.
POLLING DAY
Lok Sabha Elections-2009
Segment-wise tentative poll percentage of 3- Anantnag Parliamentary constituency at 1 p.m
No
Assembly segment
% up to 1.PM
31
Tral
1.10
32
Pampore
2.50
33
Pulwama
7.95
34
Rajpora
7.66
35
Wachi
11.93
36
Shopian
11.02
37
Noorabad
38.61
38
Kulgam
13.32
39
Homeshalibug
10.92
41
Devsar
23.03
40
Anantnag
16.00
42
Dooru
19.5
43
Kokernag
24.61
44
Shangus
26.92
45
Bijbehara
25.00
46
Pahalgam
39.00