Election Sidelights: Poonch district

Jammu/Srinagar, Nov 17 (UNI) Following were the sidelights in polling for the first phase of Assembly elections in the bordering Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir held today: * Polling in first phase for three Assembly constituencies -- Surankote, Mendhar and Poonch-Haveli -- in Jammu region.

* Long queues of voters seen in most of polling stations.

* Poonch-Haveli constituency recorded 62 per cent polling; Mendhar registered 65 per cent and Surankote recorded 61 per cent.

* EVMs broken in polling stations Suralia (No 76-B) and Naroal (No-36-P) in Mendhar.

* Presiding Officer of Kota polling station (No 79) in Mendhar Shakeel Ahmed, beaten up by people.

* Presiding Officer among five of election staff deployed at polling station Gursai-A (No 89) arrested for violation of election duty norms. The polling station to go for re-polling later.

* Four people injured in party workers clash at Malikpur polling station (No 64-D).

* Eight people injured in PDP-NC clash at Bafliyaz in Surankote segment.

UNI VJ KK CS2002