j-k-polling-underway-for-anantnag-rajouri-ls-seat

Voting for the last remaining Lok Sabha seat in Jammu and Kashmir began at 7 a.m., said officials.

 

As per official reports, people were spotted waiting outside polling booths to exercise their voting rights in several parts of the constituency.

 

The constituency comprises 18 assembly segments split over five districts: Kulgam, Anantnag, Poonch, Shopian, and Rajouri. 

 

According to officials, around 500 centenarians are among the 18.36 lakh people eligible to vote in this constituency.

 

The constituency has 18,36,576 eligible voters, including 9,33,647 men, 9,02,902 females, and 27 third-gender individuals. Approximately 18,000 people with disabilities are eligible to vote.

 

The Election Commission has established 2,338 polling stations in the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency. Four election officials, including the presiding officer, will be stationed at each voting booth.

 

Almost 9,000 poll workers, including reserves, will be deployed. There are 19 border voting booths in Rajouri and Poonch.

 

Seventeen polling booths ("pink" polling stations) will be handled by women, fifteen by individuals with disabilities, and eight by youngsters. Additionally, there will be 15 "green" polling booths.

 

The Anantnag-Rajouri constituency features 20 candidates, including People's Democratic Party (PDP) president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, who hopes to return to Parliament after being defeated in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

 

Mufti faces a difficult challenge from senior Gujjar leader and former minister Mian Altaf Ahmad, who is running as the National Conference (NC) candidate.

 

The Apni Party's Zafar Iqbal Manhas will try to overthrow both the PDP and the NC after gaining support from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Pir Panjal area.

 

The Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), led by former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, has fielded Mohammad Saleem Parray for the seat.

 

The vote in the Anantnag-Rajouri seat was originally set for May 7, but the EC postponed it due to bad weather in the area.

 

Voting will end at 6 p.m.