Voting began for the first phase of municipal elections in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.
Elections are being held for 422 of 1145 wards of 30 municipal bodies spread across 12 districts of the state.
As many as 1,283 candidates are in the fray for the first phase of the urban local bodies elections.
The polling began at 7 AM and will conclude at 4 PM and the counting of votes will be done on October 20.
Authorities made unprecedented security arrangements to ensure peaceful polling. Moreover, all candidates have been provided with either cluster security in hotels or individually in the Valley.
However, Municipal elections are taking place in the state after a gap of 13 years. But the two main regional parties, the National Conference (NC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), boycotted the civic body polls over the contentious issue of Article 35A.
Separatists leaders too have called for the boycott of the polls.
The security agencies are leaving no stone unturned to ensure peaceful polling in the state.
