Voting started in the first phase of general elections in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur parliamentary constituency on Friday with over 16.23 lakh electorate eligible to exercise their franchise.
The polling began at 7 am in all 2,637 polling stations across the constituency despite pouring rain and will decide the fate of 12 candidates, including Union Minister Jitendra Singh who is eyeing a third term after winning the seat for BJP in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
This is the first major electoral battle after the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories on August 5, 2019.
Prominent among others in the fray include Congress leader and two-time former Member of Parliament Choudhary Lal Singh and DPAP’s G M Saroori besides Six independents.
Braving inclement weather, the early morning voters were seen heading for the polling stations before the start of the voting, officials said, adding more than 11,000 polling staff, including reserve, have been deployed while security arrangements are foolproof to ensure free and fair elections.
Udhampur encompasses an expansive area of 16,707 square kilometres. It consists of 18 assembly segments spanning across five districts — Kishtwar, Doda, Ramban, Udhampur and Kathua.
