About 23 per cent polling in 10 assy seat till noon

Srinagar, Nov 17 (UNI) An estimated 23 per cent polling was recorded in ten assembly segments in Jammu and Kashmir during the first four hours.

The polling was by and large peaceful, official spokesman said.

Surankote recorded the highest of 35 per cent followed by Kargil 26, Nobra 25.50, Gurez 25, Leh 22.45, Zanaskar 20, Poonch and Mendhar 22, Sonawari 14 and Bandipora 12 per cent.

Security forces across the state have been put on maximum alert in view of the poll boycott call given by the Coordination Committee (CC), spearheading the agitation in Kashmir and strike call by separatists.

The spokesman said the polling began in all 1086 polling stations set up in these constituencies at 0800 hrs despite biting cold.

He said despite minus 8 degrees temperature, people came out in large numbers to cast their votes in four assembly segments of the Ladakh region.

Long queues could be seen outside the polling booths even before the start of the polling. At some booths, women had outnumbered men.

More than 150 votes were polled during the first half-an-hour in about a dozen polling station in Sonawari assembly segment in Bandipora district.

At Nadihal in the same constituency, about 100 people were standing in a queue outside a polling station set up in a school. So far 30 votes had polled there, he said, adding people were also coming out in large numbers to cast their votes in Gurez and Bandipora constituencies.

Similarly, in three assembly segments of Poonch voters could be seen waiting for their turn near the polling stations.

A polling station x x x Eds: pl pick up from line 1 para 1 of DR 4 'Election-J&K Lead polling two Srinagar.' UNI BAS ASM SB VC1350