Updated on Monday, November 17, 2008, 00:00 IST

Kargil, Nov 17: There are just 12 Hindu voters -- all belonging to the same family -- in this constituency of Ladakh region in J&K and all kept their date with democracy by exercising their franchise as the state went through the first phase of assembly elections today.

"We have all cast our votes as we believe that only democracy is the way to redress problems faced by the people," Shikha Nath, the first time voter of the only Hindu family in the region, told media.

The 20-year-old was accompanied by her mother Madhu Nath to the polling booth specified for women voters of the area.

"I came to the polling station early in the morning and got myself acquainted with the process," Shikha says with a smile beaming across her face.

Kargil is predominantly a Shiite Muslim area with few non-Muslims living here.

Shikha's father Ravinder Nath is one of the leading businessmen in Kargil. His ancestors came to this border town in 1920s and decided to settle down here.

"We do not see any difference from the people of Kargil. We are like them and we have not felt being single out just because we are Hindus," Shikha, who speaks the local language as fluently as any other Kargilite, said.

The mother-daughter duo said there were Sikh families also who lived in Kargil but none of them was visible around the several polling stations located in the town.

Bureau Report