Clashes erupted between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Conference (NC) workers at the Bellow 65 polling station in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Wednesday, September 18. The incident resulted in injuries to a block-level officer (BLO).
The fight occurred during the first phase of voting in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections. Tension escalated due to heightened political activity and competition.
According to Greater Kashmir, the confrontation escalated quickly, with both sides accusing each other of misconduct. The election officer, while trying to calm the situation was caught in the chaos.
A large contingent of police and army personnel deployed at the polling station restored a mild lathi charge to disperse the agitators and took the situation under control.
The first phase of polling began on September 18 covering 24 constituencies – 16 in Kashmir and eight in Jammu.
A voter turnout of nearly 60% was recorded in the first phase of voting, an official said on Wednesday.
The elections are being held for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370. Polling is underway in 24 constituencies spread over seven districts of the Union Territory.