<span style="color: #222222;">In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, amid Covid-19 Pandemic and bone chilling cold in Kashmir Valley and some parts of Jammu division, a large number of people participated in the first ever District Development Council (DDC) polls and 51.7 per cent voting was recorded for the phase one peacefully without any untoward incident. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The DDC elections in the Union Territory are the first major polls that are being conducted across the Valley since the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the erstwhile state of J&K into two union territories UTs.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Today 43 DDC constituencies went to polls including 25 in Kashmir Valley and 18 in Jammu divison where 7 lakh voters were registered. In Jammu divison, the voting per cent was 64.2 percent and in Kashmir Valley, 40.65 percent voting was recorded. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">In Jammu, highest percentage of 74.6 percent of voting was recording in Reasi district followed by Rajouri, Poonch and Samba districts where 70.5 per cent, 68.9 percent and 68 per cent voting was recorded respectively. Whereas, in Kashmir valley, highest voting of 42.58 percent was recorded in Shopian district and lowest voting of 6.08 percent was recorded in Pulwama district. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The eight-phase DDC election is being seen as a triangular contest between the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, an amalgam of several mainstream political parties, including National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party, which are seeking the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's special status revoked on August 5 last year by the Central Government.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Meanwhile, in exercise of powers conferred under Section 36 of Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989, the State Election Commission has today imposed restrictions on conduct of exit polls till the last phase of the DDC elections. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">As per an order the SEC prohibits the conduct of any exit poll and publishing or displaying the result of exit poll by means of print or electronic media or in any other manner in the ongoing DDC elections, till the last phase of these elections on December 19. Pertinently, out of 3,62,000 votes polled, 1,93,000 were male and 1,69,000 were females.</span><br />''