Early Times Report
JAMMU, DECEMBER 24 – Brisk polling is being witnessed in all the 13 Assembly constituencies of Samba and Jammu districts, which are going to polls today in the seventh and final phase of J&K Assembly Elections 2008.
Several first-time voters are exercising their maiden franchise at many polling booths across the two districts. Twenty-year-old, Mr. Mohit Khajuria and Raj Kumar, 21, cast their votes at 43-C Polling Station, set up at Government Girls High School, Gurah Salathia, in Vijaypur constituency of Samba district.
Similarly, another first-timer, Mr. Raman Kumar, cast his vote at 10-Polling Station, Pacci Dhakki, in Jammu East constituency.
Polling began at an extremely brick pace and at many polling stations, a large number of electors, including several elderly persons, were seen queuing up to cast their votes. At 62-Rakh Dhok Polling Station, in Akhnoor Assembly constituency of Jammu district, 108-year-old, Mrs. Parseeno Devi, was the first to cast her vote. Likewise, Mrs. Loko Devi, 105, exercised her franchise at 47-Polling Station, Laswara in Bishnah constituency of Jammu district. Another centurion, Mr. Tananiham, cast his vote at 56-Barnai-B Polling Station, at Mishriwala, in Raipur-Domana constituency of Jammu district. He was accompanied by his grandson to the polling station, who also cast his vote.
Reports of heavy polling have also come in from other constituencies of Jammu district which include R. S. Pura, Suchetgarh and Chhamb. Long queues of voters with a large number of women were seen eagerly waiting for their turn to cast vote.
Breaking vote-a-minute-barrier, at 62-Rakh Dhok Polling Station, in Akhnoor constituency, as many as 28 votes were polled in the first 25 minutes of polling. Similarly, at one of the polling stations set up at Government Boys Higher Secondary School, in Nagrota constituency, as many as 56 votes were cast by till 8.55 a. m. Likewise, at a polling booth set up at Paloura, 68 votes were cast in just 45 minutes of start of the polling.
At several places, women voters outnumbered their male counterparts. At a Polling Station established at Government Higher Secondary School, Jakh, in Vijaypur constituency, out of the 100 votes cast till 9.15 a. m., 60 were polled by women alone. Similarly, at 79-B Polling Station, at Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Ramgarh, in the same constituency, out of 151 votes polled till noon, 77 were cast by women voters. Overcoming physical disability, Mr. Moti Ram, 60, cast his vote at 78-A Polling Station at Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Ramgarh.
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