More than 83 per cent of the 1,600 polling stations in Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency in Kashmir have been designated as hypersensitive or sensitive by the election authorities as they are apprehensive of violence during polling in these areas.
"Of the 1,615 polling stations in the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency, 690 polling stations have been designated as hypersensitive as there is apprehension of violence in these polling station areas ahead or during the polling," an election official said.
He said the categorisation of hypersensitive polling stations has been done on the basis of possibility of militancy-related violence or apprehension of clashes between rival political workers.
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Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency - spread over four districts of Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Puilwama in south Kashmir - is going to polls on April 24 in the third of the five phases for Jammu and Kashmir.
The official said 659 polling stations have been designated as sensitive on these parameters.
"Adequate police and paramilitary forces shall be deployed in areas declared as hypersensitive or sensitive to maintain law and order and ensure peaceful election process," he said.
The official said only 13 per cent - 210 polling stations - in the four districts of the Lok Sabha constituency have been designated as normal.
All the polling stations in militancy-infested Shopian district, where separatists still wield some influence, have been declared as hypersensitive while in nearby Pulwama district all the 408 polling stations have been designated either as hypersensitive or sensitive.
