More than 70 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the Jammu-Reasi Lok Sabha constituency in the second phase of polling amid tight security arrangements on Friday.
Over 67.22 per cent polling was recorded till 5.00 pm and a large number of voters were still standing in the polling booths to cast their votes, Election Commission authorities said while sharing the Assembly-wise polling percentage.
Former Minister and working president of Congress in Jammu and Kashmir Raman Bhalla is challenging two-time sitting MP Jugal Kishore Sharma of BJP. Ankur Sharma of Ekam Sanatan Bharat Dal is also in the fray to test the political waters ahead of the maiden Assembly polls in the Union Territory. Of 17,80,835 eligible voters, 1197127 had exercised their right to vote till 5.00 p.m. sealing the fate of 22 candidates in the fray across 2416 polling stations spread across 4 districts of Jammu, Samba, Reasi, and Rajouri (83- Kalakote-Sunderbani).
Out of the total votes polled till 5.00 pm 50.69 per cent were male and 49.30 per cent were female voters.
Out of 18, eight Assembly segments recorded over 70 per cent voter turnout while four others recorded over 65 percent till 5.00 pm.
All three Assembly segments of the Reasi district recorded over 70 per cent polling.
Several centenarians stepped out to vote while motivating others to participate in the festival of democracy. In a polling station in Reasi district, 102-year-old Haji Karamdin exercised his right to franchise and said, “I am very happy to vote at this polling station at this age.”
More than 15,000 polling staff were deployed to ensure free and fair polling.
Of the 2,416 polling stations 158 booths were set up along the International Border and the Line of Control (LoC).
The first-time voters accompanied by women voters exercised their right to vote without facing any inconvenience. The Election Commission had made special arrangements to facilitate senior citizens and specially-abled voters.
Compared to voters in the urban centres the rural population showed more enthusiasm in the periphery of the Jammu district. The border belt of Samba and RS Pura also recorded a healthy voter turnout.
The newly carved Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Assembly segment in the Reasi district recorded over 75 per cent polling followed by Akhnoor where 74 per cent of voters exercised their right to franchise.
The Lok Sabha poll is the first major electoral battle in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh -- on August 5, 2019. For the first time after the 1967 polls, the Rajouri and Poonch districts were not part of the Jammu Lok Sabha seat as the frontier districts were removed and attached to the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat during the marathon exercise.
“Similarly, the whole of Reasi district has been removed from Udhampur constituency and allocated to Jammu.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh stepped out to vote in the Trikutanagar area of Jammu. Sitting BJP MP Jugal Kishore Sharma accompanied his family members at a polling booth set up at the Kishenpur government high school in Nagrota.
Congress candidate Raman Bhalla, who visited several polling booths, also expressed happiness over the smooth polling in the constituency. Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina thanked people for coming out in large numbers to vote.
