Lok Sabha polls: Udhampur voters brave bad weather to post 65% turnout on seat
Complied data shows turnout till 5 pm while polling continued till 6 pm; 70.2% voters had exercised their right to franchise in 2019 general elections
Braving incessant showers and gusty winds, 65.08% voters on Friday registered their choice till 5 pm in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur parliamentary constituency, officials said. Voting continues till 6 pm, but final data was still being compiled at the time of filing the report.
The constituency, which went to polls with several other parts of the country in the
first phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, had recorded 70.2% polling in the 2019 elections.
The turnout saw a gradual improvement over the day with the figure standing at 8.44% at 9 am, only to jump to 22.6% at 11 am, 43.11% at 1 pm, 57.09% at 3 pm and 65.08 at 5 pm, officials said. “Till 5 pm, a total voter turnout of 65.08% was recorded in the Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency. Bani recorded 60.65%, Banihal 56.62%, Basohli 63.57%, Bhaderwah 60.85%, Bilawar 64.51%, Chenani 66.33%, Doda 65.78%, Doda West 66.62%, Hiranagar 68.06%, Inderwal 66.9%, Jasrota 68.6%, Kathua (SC) 70.8%, Kishtwar 62.51%, Padder-nagseni 60.81%, Ramban 64.76%, Ramnagar (SC) 64.79%, Udhampur East 69.96% and Udhampur West 67.33%,” said officials.
I salute the people: Cong’s Lal Singh
Congress candidate from the seat, Choudhary Lal Singh, who is out on bail in a money laundering case being probed by Enforcement Directorate, and his wife Kanta Andotra, cast their votes in Kathua,.
Singh, whose election rallies drew big crowds, exuded confidence of winning.
“I salute the people of my constituency for their overwhelming response and support. Never before in my political career have I received such an overwhelming response from the people,” he told mediapersons.
Earlier, voting for the Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency began amid rain, with both older and first-time voters trickling down to the polling stations.
BJP leader Balwant Singh Mankotia, his wife and their daughter Akshunya Mankotia were among the first to cast their votes.
“I appeal to the voters to come out of their homes and exercise their right to franchise because every vote counts,” Mankotia said.
His daughter, Akshunya, a first-time voter, expressed joy at exercising her right to franchise. “I am happy that I am now part of the electoral process. Youth have a great role to shape the destiny of this nation. I would request every single voter to cast his or her vote,” she said..
Silent village has its say
At Doda’s Dhadkai, the silent village of India, Rehman Ali’s three deaf and dumb daughters exercised their right to franchise.
“My daughters, who have been deaf and dumb since birth, were anxious to cast their votes. Though they can’t speak and listen, they are aware of their right to cast their votes to the candidates of their choice,” Ali said.
The Doda district election authorities had conducted a vigorous campaign in Dhadkai village to create awareness about voting rights. The administration had roped in experts and locals to engage the local population.
The first case of hearing and speech impairment in the village was detected in 1901 and by 1990 the village had 46 such cases, a number that has risen to 120 over the years and stands at 88 at this point.
The two panchayats of Dhadkai village have a population around 5,000.
The findings of various researches by the experts revealed genetics as the main factor behind the unusually high number of hearing impairments.
BOX 2:
Newly-weds among first to cast votes
Kapil Gupta, a newly-wed groom, turned up at a polling booth with his friends, to cast his vote. His wedding had taken place a day earlier on Thursday.
“Voting is our right and must be done on priority,” he said, requesting people to vote in large numbers.
Another newly married couple, Sahil and Radhika, showed up at the polling booth in their wedding attire.
“We got married yesterday. Although my vote is not registered here, I decided to accompany him to the polling booth,” said Radhika.
The rains failed to dampen the spirits and voters were seen thronging polling stations, braving the inclement weather.
16.23L voters seal fate of 12 candidates
Around 16.23 lakh voters scattered across Kathua, Udhampur, Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts sealed the fate of 12 candidates that include Union minister and sitting MP Dr Jitendra Singh, Congress’ Choudhary Lal Singh and Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) candidate Ghulam Mohammad Saroori.
While Jitendra Singh, who won the last two editions in 2014 and 2019, is seeking a third consecutive term, Congress is eyeing an upset. Choudhary Lal Singh, it may be stated, had won the seat consecutively in 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha elections.
Former chief minister and DPAP chairperson Ghulam Nabi Azad’s close confidante GM Saroori, a three-time MLA from Inderwal — 2002, 2008 and 2014 — further spiced up the contest.
The Udhampur-Doda constituency is spread over 18 assembly segments with Kathua district accounting for maximum six seats, Udhampur four, Kishtwar and Doda districts three each and Ramban two.
A total of 1,472 polling stations, out of 2,637 have been equipped with webcasting facilities.
“At least 701 polling stations in Kathua, 654 in Udhampur, 529 in Doda, 405 in Kishtwar and 348 in Ramban would enable hassle free polling on Friday. Adequate strength of paramilitary and police forces have been mobilised for the purpose,” a home department official said.
Spread over 16,707 square km, Udhampur-Doda parliamentary constituency has 16,23,195 electorates including 8,45,283 male, 7,77,899 female and 13 third genders.
Among 16.23 lakh voters, 23,637 are persons with Disabilities (PwDs) that comprise 14,362 males and 9,275 females in the Udhampur constituency.
Kathua district has the highest number of 5,03,227 registered voters, followed by Udhampur district with 4,19,854, Doda with 3,05,09, Ramban with 2,19,124 and Kishtwar 1,75,897.
Campaigning for the constituency ended on Wednesday evening after weeks of high-profile visits by the likes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath.