Polling has begun for the fourth phase of Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand amidst tight security.

Voting is taking place for 18 seats in Jammu and Kashmir, while in Jharkhand, polling is underway in 15 constituencies.

In Jammu and Kashmir, voting started at 8 AM and will end at 4 PM. The fourth phase will be the last one for Kashmir Valley, where voting is taking place for 16 Assembly segments spread over three districts of Srinagar, Anantnag and Shopian. Voting is also underway for two seats in Samba district of Jammu region. AIR correspondent reports that fate of 182 candidates, including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, PDP leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Assembly Speaker Mubarak Gul and several ministers will be decided in this phase.

In Jharkhand, polling is underway for 15 assembly segments spread over four districts of Bokaro, Dhanbad, Giridih and Deoghar. Polling, which started at 7 AM, will end at 3 PM, except in two constituencies of Dhanbad and Bokaro, where it will conclude at 5 PM. 217 candidates, including 16 women, are in the fray for this phase.

AIR correspondent reports that the polling process is being web cast live from 335 polling stations.