Undeterred by terroristís threats and Hurriyat's boycott call, an estimated 30 per cent of the electorate in 23 constituencies voted in the first phase of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections on Monday marked by scattered attempts to disrupt polls with terrorist firing rockets and grenades and planting explosives.
While polling was higher in Poonch and Rajouri districts in the Jammu region, it was markedly lower in the Kupwara and Baramulla districts in the valley.
A Punjab police jawan was killed when terrorists opened indiscriminate firing at a polling station in a school in Sar village of Poonch district. There were also reports of a 16-year old boy being killed in a rocket attack at a polling booth in Seri Khwaja in Kupwara district.
About a dozen people were injured in terrorist attacks on booths during the 11 hour-long polls that ended at 4 pm.
The terrorists also made a desperate bid to disrupt the polls by planting Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) at several booths but most of them were defused before any damage could occur.
A defence spokesman said the Pakistani troops also resorted to shelling at Indian positions since Sunday night which continued till Monday morning.
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