JAMMU: The voting for the first phase of Jammu and Kashmir District Development Council (DDC) elections and panchayat by-polls has begun. The Election Commission has informed that around seven lakh voters will exercise their franchise and decide the fate of 1,427 candidates in the newly formed union territory (UT). In the first phase of the eight-phase DDC Elections, voting will be conducted in 43 constituencies. Out of the 43 constituencies which will go to polls today, 25 are in Kashmir while 18 are in Jammu. Meanwhile, the sarpanch election will be conducted in 94 constituencies and a total of 279 candidates (203 males, 76 females) are contesting in the first phase.
