Counting of votes for 52 civic bodies&nbsp;across Jammu and Kashmir began on Saturday, polling for which was held in four phases earlier this month.&nbsp;

The counting of votes began at 9 am and will be done at the Government Polytechnic College in Jammu.

Although there are 79 civic bodies in the state, the counting to be done today will only be for 52 local bodies since elections were not held in 27 civic bodies as there was no candidate or only one candidate. &nbsp;

A total of 3,372 nominations were filed for 1,145 wards. The fate of over 3,000 candidates will be decided by the end of the day.

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Counting of votes for 52 civic bodies to be held across Jammu and Kashmir today; Visuals from a counting centre in Doda. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JammuAndKashmir?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JammuAndKashmir</a> <a href="https://t.co/RjVoBTlWbT">pic.twitter.com/RjVoBTlWbT</a>
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The elections are a direct contest between the BJP and the Congress. A large number of independents are also in the running. The National Conference and the PDP did not participate in the polls.

The urban local bodies polls in Jammu and Kashmir took place after a gap of 13 years, with the last elections being conducted in 2005.

The polling was held amid tight security arrangements in four phases starting October 8 and ending on October 16. While moderate to heavy polling was witnessed in Jammu and Ladakh regions, the Kashmir valley saw an abysmally low voter turnout.

Nearly 17 lakh voters were eligible to vote for 79 urban local bodies of the state but polling was held only for 52. No voting was held in 27 civic bodies in the Valley either because there was no candidate or only one candidate had filed nominations for a particular ward.

Of the 598 wards in Kashmir, 231 candidates were elected unopposed, while there were no candidates on 181 wards.

The overall voting percentage for these polls in the state stood at 35.1 per cent.

(With inputs from PTI)&nbsp;

Counting of votes for 52 civic bodies across Jammu and Kashmir began on Saturday, polling for which was held in four phases earlier this month. The counting of votes began at 9 am and will be done at the Government Polytechnic College in Jammu.

Counting of votes for 52 civic bodies across Jammu and Kashmir began on Saturday, polling for which was held in four phases earlier this month. The counting of votes began at 9 am and will be done at the Government Polytechnic College in Jammu. Although there are 79 civic bodies in the state, the counting to be done today will only be for 52 local bodies since elections were not held in 27 civic bodies as there was no candidate or only one candidate. A total of 3,372 nominations were filed for 1,145 wards. The fate of over 3,000 candidates will be decided by the end of the day. Counting of votes for 52 civic bodies to be held across Jammu and Kashmir today; Visuals from a counting centre in Doda. #JammuAndKashmir pic.twitter.com/RjVoBTlWbT — ANI (@ANI) October 20, 2018 × The elections are a direct contest between the BJP and the Congress. A large number of independents are also in the running. The National Conference and the PDP did not participate in the polls. The urban local bodies polls in Jammu and Kashmir took place after a gap of 13 years, with the last elections being conducted in 2005. The polling was held amid tight security arrangements in four phases starting October 8 and ending on October 16. While moderate to heavy polling was witnessed in Jammu and Ladakh regions, the Kashmir valley saw an abysmally low voter turnout. Nearly 17 lakh voters were eligible to vote for 79 urban local bodies of the state but polling was held only for 52. No voting was held in 27 civic bodies in the Valley either because there was no candidate or only one candidate had filed nominations for a particular ward. Of the 598 wards in Kashmir, 231 candidates were elected unopposed, while there were no candidates on 181 wards. The overall voting percentage for these polls in the state stood at 35.1 per cent. (With inputs from PTI)

Counting of votes for 52 civic bodies to be held across Jammu and Kashmir today

More than 50 people lost their lives during an explosion at a mosque on Sunday when attackers targetted a voter centre in the eastern Afghan province of Khost, also leaving over 34 people wounded.&nbsp;

Basir Bina, a spokesman for the provincial police, said the explosion took place when people gathered after afternoon prayers in the mosque, which was also being used as a voter registration centre for parliamentary elections due in October.

He said the blast appeared to have been caused by explosives left in the mosque rather than by a suicide bomber.

As per reports an explosive device placed inside the Yaqoubi mosque detonated at around 2.30 pm local time on May 6 and caused casualties among civilians who had gathered both for prayers and to register to vote.

No one immediately claimed responsibility, but the extremist group Islamic State (IS) has carried out similar attacks in the past. Taliban militants have also warned people not to take part in the elections.

Habib Shah Ansari, head of the health department in Khost, a mountainous region on the border with Pakistan, said 17 were confirmed dead from the blast with 34 injured.

Sunday's blast came as fighting has spread across Afghanistan, with government officials saying that a district in the northern province of Badakhshan which was seized by Taliban fighters last week had been retaken. 
&nbsp;

The blast appeared to have been caused by explosives left in the mosque rather than by a suicide bomber

More than 50 people lost their lives during an explosion at a mosque on Sunday when attackers targetted a voter centre in the eastern Afghan province of Khost, also leaving over 34 people wounded. Basir Bina, a spokesman for the provincial police, said the explosion took place when people gathered after afternoon prayers in the mosque, which was also being used as a voter registration centre for parliamentary elections due in October. He said the blast appeared to have been caused by explosives left in the mosque rather than by a suicide bomber. As per reports an explosive device placed inside the Yaqoubi mosque detonated at around 2.30 pm local time on May 6 and caused casualties among civilians who had gathered both for prayers and to register to vote. No one immediately claimed responsibility, but the extremist group Islamic State (IS) has carried out similar attacks in the past. Taliban militants have also warned people not to take part in the elections. Habib Shah Ansari, head of the health department in Khost, a mountainous region on the border with Pakistan, said 17 were confirmed dead from the blast with 34 injured. Sunday's blast came as fighting has spread across Afghanistan, with government officials saying that a district in the northern province of Badakhshan which was seized by Taliban fighters last week had been retaken.

More than 50 killed in blast at mosque in eastern Afghanistan

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Counting of votes for 52 civic bodies to be held across Jammu and Kashmir today

More than 50 killed in blast at mosque in eastern Afghanistan