Adequate security for sensitive polling booths in J&K, says SEC

State Election Commissioner (SEC) K.K. Sharma said on Monday that adequate security has been put in place for the second phase of the District Development Council (DDC) polls where 43 more segments will vote on Tuesday.

Talking to reporters, Sharma said that every polling booth in the Kashmir Valley is a sensitive point and that he would ensure proper security cover at all the booths so that people can vote without any fear. “I hope people will come out in good numbers without fear and participate in the polls so that DDCs are formed in each district to give development a new push,” he said.

Responding to queries about instances where PAGD candidates complained of the police not allowing them to campaign, he said that he had received a few of such complaints and forwarded them to the Police Chief of Kashmir. He said that there is no policy to debar any candidate from meeting people for campaigning and said that they should inform police officers and concerned SSPs in case of any complaints. He added that he will ensure that every candidate, irrespective of his party, gets a level playing field.

Giving more details about the polls, SEC Sharma said that there are 7.90 lakh voters eligible for the DDC polls and 2142 polling stations ready, of which, 1305 are in Kashmir and 837 in Jammu.

He appealed to voters to come in large numbers during the second phase and adhere to the Covid SOPs at the polling booths. He also said that the commission has equipped every polling booth with sanitizers but people should wear masks and keep their distance while waiting for their turn to vote.