2 militants killed in encounter with security forces in J&K
Srinagar: Two militants were on Saturday killed in separate encounters with security forces in Baramulla and Shopian districts of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.
While an unidentified militant was killed in Sopore township of Baramulla district of north Kashmir, another was killed in Shopian district of south Kashmir in an operation which began on Friday, a police officer said.
Acting on specific information about the presence of militants in Warpora area of Sopore in Baramulla, security forces launched a cordon and search operation there on Saturday morning, he said.
As the forces was searching the area, the militants fired upon them. The forces retaliated, ensuing a gunfight in which one militant was killed, the officer said.
The identity and group affiliation of the slain ultra was being ascertained, he added.
In another operation which began in Pandushan area of Shopian on Friday, the officer said security forces killed a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militant Manzoor Bhat.
On Friday, another JeM militant Zeenat ul Islam Naikoo, a resident of Memandar area of Shopian, was killed in the gunfight, the officer said.
He said both the militants were involved in a series of terror crimes and other civilian atrocities.
"Naikoo has a long history of terror crime records and several terror crime cases were registered against him including relating to attack on police station Shopian, abduction of a civilian Shakoor Ahmad, killing of four policemen in Shopian, abduction and killing of a civilian Tanveer Ahmad among others," he said.
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Assam records nearly 18 pc voter turnout in first two hours of assembly polls
Guwahati (PTI): A voter turnout of 17.87 per cent was recorded in the first two hours of the assembly elections in Assam, where the BJP-led NDA is seeking a third consecutive term in power, while the Congress is striving to reclaim a state it lost a decade ago.
Polling began at 7 am for the 126-member assembly, and 17.87 per cent of the state's 2.5 crore voters exercised their franchise till 9 am, officials said.
A total of 722 candidates are in the fray for the elections, which is largely witnessing a direct contest between the BJP-led ruling coalition and the opposition bloc helmed by the Congress.
The river island of Majuli recorded the highest turnout in the first two hours at 20.03 per cent, while Tamulpur in the Bodoland Territorial Region witnessed the lowest at 15.32 per cent.
Voters began queuing outside polling booths since early morning, despite rain in many parts of the state.
Prominent candidates who have cast their votes so far include Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia in Nazira, Assam Jatiya Parishad president Lurinjyoti Gogoi in Khowang, and BJP's Pradyut Bordoloi.
Votes are being cast at 31,490 polling stations across the 35 districts of the state, with polling concluding at 5 pm.
Among the heavyweight candidates whose fates would be decided in this election are Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal and Raijor Dal leader Akhil Gogoi.
The Congress has fielded the highest number of candidates at 99, followed by the BJP with 90. The AIUDF has 30 candidates, while NDA constituents Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People's Front (BPF) are contesting 26 and 11 seats, respectively.
In the opposition bloc, Raijor Dal is contesting 13 seats, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) 10, CPI(M) 3 and APHLC 2. Other parties in the fray include AAP (18), UPPL (18), TMC (22), JMM (16), besides 258 Independents.
Algapur-Katlicherra and Karimganj South have the highest number of candidates at 15 each, while nine constituencies -- Rangia, Jagiroad (SC), Hojai, Naduar, Jonai (ST), Doomdooma, Mahmora, Teok and Lakhipur -- have only two candidates each.
