Polling began on Monday for Ladakh and Anantnag Lok Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir. Enthusiastic voters started pouring out to throng the polling stations in Leh and Kargil districts.
In contrast, most of the polling stations wore a deserted look in Shopian and Pulwama districts where polling is being held in the third and final phase of Anantnag Lok Sabha seat.
Polling started at 7 a.m. in both the Lok Sabha seats, but it will end at 4 p.m. in Anantnag constituency and 6 p.m. in Ladakh constituency.
In the hilly Shahdab Karewa village of Shopian district, voters started to come out in good numbers to exercise their democratic rights.
In Ladakh, the contest is four-cornered between Jamyang Tsering Namgyal of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Rigzin Spalbar of the Congress and two independents, Haji Asgar Ali Karbalai and Sajjad Hussain.
There are 18 candidates in fray in Anantnag, but the main contest is between Mehbooba Mufti of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ghulam Ahmad Mir of Congress and Justice (retired) Hasnain Masoodi of the National Conference.
The votes will be counted on May 23.
Militants Monday lobbed a grenade towards a polling station in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir where polling is underway for the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency, police said.
A grenade was lobbed towards Rohmoo polling station in Pulwama but there were no reports of any casualties in the the blast, a police official said.
He said security forces have cordoned off the area.
This was the first militant attack on a polling station in this Lok Sabha election in Jammu and Kashmir.
Polling is being held in Pulwama and Shopian districts of Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency which also includes Anantnag and Kulgam districts as well.
The Lok Sabha polls to this constituency are being held in three phases due to security reasons.
Anantnag district went to polls on 23 April, while voting in Kulgam district took place on 29 April.
There are 18 candidates in the fray for Anantnag constituency including PDP president and former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti.
