Jammu, Dec 4:
Ballots prevailed over bullets as voters trickled out in large number to vote in the seventh phase of panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. Poonch, which is bounded by the Line of Control on three sides, recorded 72 per cent voter turnout till noon, followed by Samba at 64.2 per cent, Rajouri 64 per cent, Jammu 63 per cent, Reasi 61.4 and Ramban 57.9 per cent, as per the data compiled by the State Election Commission. However, some areas such as Kupwara, clocked in a low turnout of 34 per cent, yet better than last panchayat polls held in 2011. The polling began at 8 in the morning and ended at 2 pm. The result for this phase is expected to come out in the evening on Tuesday. More than 5,550 candidates are contesting for 341 sarpanch and 1,798 panch seats in this phase. The sixth phase was held on Saturday when 73.6 per cent voter turnout was recorded. Two more phases are left with the final one ending on December 11.
