Under a heavy security blanket, Jammu and Kashmir witnesses the first phase of civic polls today- an election made controversial after the two key parties in the Valley, National Conference and Mehbooba Mufti's People's Democratic Party, pulled out. With the central government insistent on the election, voting is taking place in 422 of the state's 1,100 municipal wards. The list includes 149 seats in the Valley, 26 in Ladakh, Jammu and Pirpanjal region.