Srinagar, Dec 27 : Counting of votes for the 87 assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir will be held on Sunday.

The counting in all the constituencies will start at 9 a. m at 22 centres set up at district headquarters across the state.

Electoral fate of 1,353 candidates will be decided including former Chief Ministers Gulam Nabi Azad of Congress (Bhadarwal), Mufti Mohammad Sayeed of the People''s Democratic Party (PDP) (Anantnag) and National Conference''s (NC) Farooq Abdullah (Sonawar and Hazratbal), NC president Omar Abdullah (Ganderbal) and PDP''s Mehbooba Mufti (Wachi).

All the 87 seats witnessed multi-cornered contest but the real fight is among Congress, NC and the PDP for the 46 seats in Kashmir while BJP and J-K National Panthers Party are also in contention for the 37 constituencies in Jammu.

In the final phase of Assembly polls, over 56 per cent voting was recorded. The poll percentage in 13 assembly segments of Jammu and Samba districts was 70 per cent.

Over 63 per cent polling was recorded in the sixth phase, which spread in the districts of Doda, Ramban and Kishtwar in Jammu Division and Anantnag and Kulgam districts in Kashmir. Approximately 57 per cent voters exercised their franchise in the fifth phase on Saturday. Polling took place in eleven constituencies in the districts of Kathua, Shopian and Pulwama.

An estimated 55 per cent of the 14 lakh electorate exercised their franchise in the fourth phase of polling on December 7. An average 50-60 per cent turnout recorded in the third phase on November 30.

At least 65 per cent voting was recorded during the second phase of polling.

Despite the call by separatists for boycott of elections, 64 per cent participated in the first phase.

In the first four phases, the number of candidates showed a marked increase this time as compared to 2002. In the Kashmir division the number has gone up to more than double. (ANI)