Joining the nationwide ‘Vote for Change’ campaign, approximately 70 per cent electorate on Thursday celebrated Indian democracy’s biggest and most colourful festival in the first phase of polling on Jammu-Poonch lok Sabha seat.
Compared to 2009 lok Sabha polls, Jammu-Poonch lok Sabha seat recorded a huge jump of 20 per cent polling. A ‘Big Army’ of first time voters and large percentage of women electorate triggered a chain reaction in urban centres as they escorted senior citizens and friends to queue up outside polling booths enthusiastically to exercise their franchise.
Barring minor incidents of scuffle between polling agents of different political parties and confusion over deletion of names in the voters list, by and large polling went off peacefully along the International border and loC in frontier Poonch and Rajouri districts under tight security arrangements.
The major city centres in Jammu district witnessed huge rush of voters since early morning while rural electorate scored over urban population in terms of greater participation.According to local reports, to beat the heat rural electorate had started lining up outside the polling booths since early morning and majority population had cast their votes till 2 pm. In remote areas of Rajori and Poonch voting went on till 7 pm.
Samba district with two Assembly segments recorded over 75 per cent polling followed by Jammu district where an estimated 70 per cent electorate exercised their franchise. The bordering districts of Poonch and Rajouri recorded over 60 per cent polling.
“The entire polling process went off smoothly with no major incidence of violence reported from across four districts falling under the parliamentary seat,” Chief Electoral Officer J&K Umang Narula told reporters on Thursday evening expressing satisfaction over the conduct of polls in free and fair manner.