Budgam registered the second-highest turnout (51 per cent) of the second phase polls in J-K today. But the largely fair polling in the five constituencies of the district was tainted with allegations of coercion by securitymen.If villagers in Charangama in Beerwah constituency said Rashtriya Rifles men had forced them into booths, at Charar-e-Sharief, enthusiastic voters registered the highest turnout of the Valley (59 per cent). ‘‘We want to vote to elect a true representative who will redress our routine matters,’’ said a village elder at Charar-e-Sharief.Srinagar was a complete contrast where at the end of polling at 4 pm, the turnout was 11 per cent. This included Ganderbal and Kangan which saw brisk voting. In Jammu, however, the turnout was a high 59 per cent.The only place that saw any activity at 7 am — when voting began officially — was Gogjibagh area where light machine guns and not EVM’s were in use to fight militants holed up in a house. As the guns fell silent, a deathly silence hung over the city. There was hardly any activity in the 578 polling booths.Villagers in Budgam’s Charangam complained RR personnel had started herding them into a booth in a panchayat ghar from early morning. ‘‘At 6.30 am, they banged on our doors to tell us to vote early. We can’t defy them. There’s an Army camp in our village. They told us they would look for ink mark and if they don’t see it, they would thrash us,’’ said villager Mohammad Usman. Late in the afternoon, the Indian Express saw an Army patrol led by a Major checking ink marks on people’s fingers. Beyond Budgam, turnout was poor in Chadoora and again there were allegations of coercion. People outside booths complained RR men had been going door-to-door threatening them with ‘‘serious consequences’’ if the ink mark was not found.
