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Tuesday
October 8, 2002
1754 IST
Updated 1849 IST

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Estimated 52 per cent polling in fourth phase

Election 2002

An estimated 52 per cent of the nearly 450,000 electorate on Tuesday exercised their franchise in six constituencies of Doda district in the fourth and final phase of polling for 87-member Jammu and Kashmir assembly, the Election Commission said in Srinagar.

In Lolab constituency of Kupwara district, an estimated 44 per cent votes were cast, Deputy Election Commissioner Sayan Chatterjee said.

Polling in Lolab, earlier scheduled in the first phase on September 16, was countermanded following the assassination of National Conference nominee and Law Minister Mushtaq Ahmed Lone.

Chatterjee said the overall turnout of voters in all the four phases was an estimated 44 per cent.

Meanwhile, an independent contestant, Mohammad Iqbal, and a Panthers' Party candidate, Satpal, in Doda constituency took out a procession and staged a dharna in front of the district election office, along with their supporters, alleging rigging by the National Conference at seven polling stations.

They alleged the Special Task Force, which was sent to the barracks by the Election Commission, captured booths at the behest of the ruling NC, which misused state machinery to 'massively rig the polls'.

Earlier, the Election Commission had estimated 35 per cent voting.

Initial reports, according the EC, had said over 40 per cent voters cast their ballots in all the six constituencies of Doda district, 34.14 per cent in Lolab and 25 per cent in repolling in some of the constituencies in Pahalgam.

Earlier, Doda town was rocked by a suicide attack on a polling booth in which two Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed and four injured.

One of the two Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorists in police uniform, who carried out the attack at the Town Hall polling station just 15 minutes after the voting began, was killed in an exchange of fire with security personnel.

The other militant managed to escape.

The CRPF personnel killed were identified as D S Arde and Ramesh Kumar.

Terrorists also detonated three Improvised Explosive Devices near polling booths in Banihal and Doda constituencies.

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