Lok Sabha elections 2019: 29.81 lakh voters to seal fate of 24 Srinagar, Udhampur nominees today

Over 29.81 lakh voters will decide the fate of 24 candidates, including former chief minister Farooq Abdullah and Union minister Jitendra Singh, in Srinagar and

Over 29.81 lakh voters will decide the fate of 24 candidates, including former chief minister Farooq Abdullah and Union minister Jitendra Singh, in Srinagar and Udhampur seats of Jammu and Kashmir, which go to polls in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections on Thursday.

The constituency had recorded 7.6% turnout in the 2017 byelection, marred by violence that left eight people dead on the polling day. (HT Photo)

A senior officer said a three-tier security would be ensured in Srinagar and the army had been asked to conduct area domination in rural pockets of the constituency.

More than 50,000 security personnel would be deployed at 1,716 polling stations in the constituency, spread over 15 assembly segments in three central Kashmir districts of Ganderbal, Srinagar and Budgam, he said. Each polling booth would be guarded by more than two sections of security forces, he said. The police had set up additional check points on the highways and roads connecting Srinagar, the officer said.

Srinagar deputy commissioner Shahid Choudhary said all the polling stations in the constituency had been declared hyper-sensitive.

The constituency had recorded 7.6% turnout in the 2017 byelection, marred by violence that left eight people dead on the polling day.

In 2014, the seat was won by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Tariq Hameed Karra, who quit the party and Lok Sabha in 2016 and joined the Congress. National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah won the seat in thee subsequent byelection in 2017, defeating PDP candidate Nazir Ahmad Khan by 10,766 votes.

Twelve candidates are in fray for the Srinagar seat. Abdullah, 83, is pitched against Aga Moshin of the PDP, Irfan Ansari of the People’s Conference and Khalid Jehangir of the BJP.

In Udhampur Lok Sabha seat also, 12 candidates are in fray. Prominent candidates include Jitendra Singh, who is seeking re-election on a BJP ticket, Vikramaditya Singh of the Congress, Choudhary Lal Singh of the Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan and Harsh Dev Singh of the National Panthers Party.

Vikramaditya Singh is the grandson of t Jammu and Kashmir’s erstwhile ruler Hari Singh.

Spread over 17 assembly segments in six districts of Kishtwar, Doda, Ramban, Reasi, Udhampur and Kathua, the constituency has 16, 85,779 electors. For the smooth conduct of election, 2,710 polling stations have been set up in the constituency.

In 2014, Jitendra Singh had defeated Congress candidate Ghulam Nabi Azad by 40,000 votes.

Officials said the voting will start at 7 am and end at 6 pm.