Srinagar, May 13: As female voters started coming out after completing household chores in the afternoon, voting percentages started rising across J&K's Srinagar constituency on Monday with the overall turnout at 30.23 per cent.

The highest voter turnout so far has been in the Kangan Assembly segment of the Ganderbal district where 46.76 per cent of voters had exercised their franchise till 3 pm.

This was followed by Char-e-Shareef at 45.09 per cent, Chadoora at 40.70 per cent, Khan Sahib at 41.20 per cent, Ganderbal at 39.30 per cent, Shopian at 37.91 per cent, Rajpora at 36.31 per cent, Pulwama at 33.21 per cent, Tral at 30.45 per cent, Pampore at 29.79 per cent, Zadibal at 22.97 per cent, Hazratbal at 22.02 per cent, Lal Chowk at 21.70 per cent, Central Shalteng at 20.48 per cent, Khanyar at 17.05 per cent, Channapora at 16.45 per cent, and Habba Kadal at 11.40 per cent.

This is the first election in Kashmir after 1987 when the separatists have not called for a poll boycott. This is also the first Lok Sabha election after the abrogation of Article 370 and downgrading of J&K into a Union Territory.

The eagerness of the people to cast their vote was obvious everywhere except the Khanyar segment in Srinagar city where the first vote was only cast after 9 a.m.

Even in the once perceived hotbed of separatist sentiment in the Valley, the old city areas of Srinagar, voters came out without any fear to cast their vote.

Authorities had made elaborate security arrangements to provide a fearless voting environment to the people. Despite a large number of security forces deployed in the entire constituency, there is no tension or fear anywhere in the constituency.

At many places, smiling voters exchanged greetings with the deployed security personnel, and even displaying their fingers to show the indelible ink mark.

There are 17,47,810 voters - 8,75,938 male, 8,71,808 fender and 64 third-gender voters in the constituency. ECI has set up 2135 polling stations -1,004 urban and 1,131 rural polling stations in the

constituency. There are 24 candidates in the fray in this constituency although the main contest is between Syed Ruhullah Mehdi of the National Conference (NC), Waheed ur Rehman Para of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Mohd Ashraf Mir of the J&K Apni Party.

The voting started at 7 a.m. and will end at 6 p.m.

(IANS)

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