70 percent polling in Kashmir, 62 percent in Jharkhand

New Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir Tuesday recorded a "high" poll percentage of 70 percent in the first phase of the state assembly elections, while the percentage in Jharkhand was 61.92, officials said here.

They said the percentage was likely to go up further.

Deputy Election Commissioner Vinod Zutshi told the media here that balloting in Jammu and Kashmir was incident free.

He said 70 percent voters cast their ballot and there could be an increase of about two percent after all votes cast were taken into account.

He said the constituencies had seen 64.97 percent turnout in the 2008 elections and 52.63 percent in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year.

"It is a good increase. The voting percentage seems to be on the higher side," he said.

Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha, who briefed the media about the Jharkhand elections, said the polling percentage in 13 seats that went to the polls was 61.92 percent.

He said the constituencies saw 58 percent polling in the 2009 assembly polls as well as in the Lok Sabha elections.