Over 69 per cent turnout in Jammu-Reasi LS seat as young, old, women, border residents turn out in force (2nd Lead)

A 105-year-old man, a 97-year-old woman, supported by her young grandson, women carrying their young children, and wheelchair-bound people were among those who came out to exercise their right to franchise the Jammu-Reasi Lok Sabha constituency on Friday, where polling ended peacefully with over 69 per cent turnout.

Polling started at 7 a.m. and ended at 6 p.m.

J&K’s Chief Electoral Officer P.K.Pole told reporters that the poll process ended peacefully in the constituency with an overall voter turnout of 69.01 per cent.

There were 22 contestants in the constituency, spread over the Jammu and Reasi districts, Ramgarh, Vijaypur, and Samba in the Samba district, and Sunderbani-Kalakote in the Rajouri district, but the main battle was between Jugal Kishore Sharma of the BJP and Raman Bhalla of the Congress.

Sharma is seeking re-election for the third time from the constituency while Bhalla, a former J&K minister, is supported by his party’s INDIA bloc partner, the National Conference.

The EC also released voting percentages for all the segments of this constituency, with Vijaypur recording the highest turnout at 75.67 per cent, followed by Shri Mata Vaishno Devi at 74.65 per cent and the Akhnoor (SC) segment at 74.03 per cent.

Bahu recorded 62.34 per cent, Bishnah (SC) 71.33 per cent, Chhamb 71.06 per cent, Gulabgarh (ST) 71.47 per cent, Jammu East 66.11 per cent, Jammu North 67.29 per cent, Jammu West 62.82 per cent, Kalakote- Sunderbani 66.40 per cent, Marh (SC) 73 per cent, Nagrota 71.39 per cent, RS-Pura Jammu South 68.11 per cent, Ramgarh (SC) 69.76 per cent, Reasi 71.65 per cent, Samba 69.23 per cent, and Suchetgarh (SC) 63.49 per cent.

As the day progressed, queues outside the polling stations also became longer as every voter, particularly first-time voters, as well as those living in border areas, turned out to exercise their franchise.

Women voters also came out in large numbers.

Janki Devi, 97, who was holding the hand of her grandson for assistance, cast her vote at a polling station in Khabbal, and Sardar Avtar Singh Raina, 105, voted in Jammu, as per election officials. A newly-married couple, still clad in their wedding finery, reached a polling station at Mahore in Reasi to vote.

Better roads, development, education, connectivity, healthcare etc are the main issues of the urban voters.

The large numbers of border voters pouring out to use their democratic rights proved that peace on the border and the country’s capacity to protect their lives, agricultural fields, homes, and livestock are their main considerations.

ECI officials said contingency plans were in place in case of any disruption in border polling stations.

There are 17,80,738 voters in the constituency – 9,21,053 males, 8,59,657 females, and 28 third-gender voters.

The EC has set up 2,416 polling stations including 666 urban and 1,750 rural.

CCTV camera monitoring, webcasting and deployment of poll mobile senior supervisory staff are some of the measures to ensure free and fair polling in the constituency. Thirteen polling stations in the communication shadow zone were being monitored through satellite phones, wireless, and human runners to ensure fairness of the voting process.

Adequate security has been provided throughout the constituency while the polling stations were sanitised security-wise a day ahead of the polling. Hundreds of state police and those of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel have been deployed to provide a safe and secure voting environment.