Jammu/Baramulla, April 9 (IANS) Poll campaign ended on Tuesday evening in Jammu and Baramulla Lok Sabha constituencies where voting is scheduled on Thursday in the first phase of 5-phase Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
As many as 10,70,014 voters would be deciding the fate of 24 candidates in Jammu Lok Sabha seat where 1,380 polling stations have been set up in four districts of Samba, Jammu, Poonch and Rajouri.
There are 20 voting segments in this Lok Sabha constituency.
The main contest is going to be between Jugal Kishore Sharma of the BJP and Raman Bhalla of the Congress.
Sharma is seeking re-election from this constituency.
Regional National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have not fielded any candidates in this constituency to consolidate secular, anti-BJP vote for the Congress candidate, Raman Bhalla.
Among other candidates in this constituency are Prof Bhim Singh of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP), BJP rebel, Choudhary Lal Singh of Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan, Badrinath of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Javid Ahmad of All India Forward Block.
Poll officials said EVMs will reach at all polling stations by tomorrow before 6 p.m. under tight security. Polling will start on April 11 at 7 a.m. and end at 6 p.m.
“After polling, EVMs will be sealed in boxes in the presence of candidates/agents under the supervision of election officer/observer and will be sent to the strong rooms at Polytechnic College and Maulana Azad College in Jammu city.
“The EVMs will be tested/demostrated at 6 a.m. on the election date in the presence of candidates/agents. Extra EVMs and polling parties will be replaced in case of emergency”, officials said.
Poll campaign also ended for the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency today.
As many as 13,12,148 voters will decide the fate of 9 candidates in the fray in this constituency where 1,749 polling stations have been set up.
Voting is scheduled on April 11 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The constituency is spread over three districts of Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora with 15 voting segments.
The constituency will witness a 4-cornered contest among Muhammad Akbar Lone of the NC, Raja Aijaz Ali of the Peoples Conference (PC), Abdul Qayoom Wani of the PDP and the independent candidate, Engineer Rashid.
BJP has fielded M.M. War and Congress Haji Farooq Mir from here.
In 2014, Muzaffar Hussain Baig of the PDP had won this seat.
None of the nine candidates in the fray in this constituency has earlier been elected either to the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha.
There are remote border areas in this constituency including Gurez in Bandipora district, Karnah in Kupwara district and Uri in Baramulla district.
Poll officials said adequate staff has been made available to man polling stations in the remote areas.
“All arrangements including a security plan for the polling day have been finalised for free, fair and transparent conduct of elections”, an official said.
–IANS
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