Jammu and Kashmir recorded 49 per cent polling across 18 constituencies on Sunday, largely in defiance of the boycott call by separatists.
Polling was peaceful barring two incidents, one in which a BJP candidate allegedly assaulted a polling official and the other in which a party candidate attacked a polling agent. Hinna Bhat, contesting from Amira Kadal, allegedly slapped a polling officer in Chanapora.
In Jharkhand, the steel and coal cities of Bokaro and Dhanbad saw below-average polling in the fourth phase of polling. The State saw an average turnout of 61.65 per cent in the fourth phase and a cumulative turnout of 63.1 per cent in these elections. This is higher than the turnout of 58.26 per cent in 2009. However, the urban hubs of Bokaro and Dhanbad recorded only 44.5 per cent and 50 per cent, respectively, according to data received at 5.30 p.m. The polling in Srinagar, Anantnag and Shopian districts in the Valley and Samba in Jammu was four per cent higher than that in the 2008 Assembly elections, but was lower than the average of 71 per cent in the first two phases and 59 per cent in the third phase this time.