The voting for the second phase of the District Development Council elections in Jammu and Kashmir began at 7 am on Tuesday amid a severe c...

The voting for the second phase of the District Development Council elections in Jammu and Kashmir began at 7 am on Tuesday amid a severe cold wave and tight security arrangements, PTI reported.
“Initial reports suggest that only a few people have so far turned out at polling stations due to early morning winter chill,” an official said. He added that the pace of voting is expected to pick up as the day progresses and temperature rises.
The first phase of voting on November 28 recorded saw a total voter turnout of 51.76%. This was the first district council elections in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of special status granted to the erstwhile state under Article 370.
As many as 321 candidates are contesting in the second phase of the elections, and around 7.90 lakh people are eligible to vote. Out of the 280 constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, 43 are going to polls in the Union Territory in the second phase. This included 25 in Kashmir and 18 in Jammu division.
The elections to fill up vacant seats of 1,088 sarpanchs and over 12,000 panch positions and Urban Local Bodies are also being held simultaneously. Eighty-three sarpanch and 331 panch constituencies are going to the polls in the second...