Ladakh: In the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in India, the final round of polling in Kashmir has displayed a different picture. Here, only the polling in Baramulla was reported by incidents of violence because this area has been the hub of militancy in the state. In Ladakh, the voting was peaceful as expected with a polling rate of 65%.
In Baramulla, police had to fire teargas at a violent crowd who were asking to boycott the polls. Meanwhile a grenade was exploded near a polling station. No voter has been reported to have hurt in the incident.
Even though, the turnout recorded in Baramulla is 39% . The low turnout in Baramulla is not a surprise since there is still widespread anguish over the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. The turnout in Sopore, the hometown of Guru, is only1%. More than 30,000 security men have been deployed to ensure free and peaceful voting in 1,616 polling stations in Baramulla. In the 2009 parliamentary elections, 41.84% votes were polled in Baramulla while in Ladakh it was 71.86%. In this conflict-ridden state there are 12.5 million people while the contestants for the six Lok Sabha seats are more than 70.

Video on the polling in Baramulla