Voting for the first phase of panchayat polls in Jammu and Kashmir began at 8 am on Friday amid high security in the wake of boycott call by separatists and threats by militants.427 candidates are in the fray for 536 Sarpanch Halqas and 5,951 candidates for 4,048 Panch wards for first phase of the Panchayat polls, said an official. Elections will be held in 9 phases across the state. While separatists have called for a boycott of the polls, militants have threatened to target anyone taking part in these elections.