The newly carved out Shri Mata Vaishnodevi assembly segment of Jammu Lok Sabha seat on Friday recorded the highest voting percentage of 74.65 till 5pm as polling for the constituency was held in the second phase of the election in Jammu and Kashmir.

Polling was scheduled to continue till 6 pm but long queues of voters were still there outside the booths. The constituency recorded 67.22 per cent voting till 5 pm and the final figure was expected later in the evening.

The Shri Mata Vaishnodevi assembly segment was carved out in the recent delimitation of seats in J&K. This was followed by 74.03% polling in the border segment of Akhnoor. The other segments bordering Pakistan, Suchetgarh, RS Pura and Marh recorded 63.49, 62.31 and 73 percent polling respectively. Jammu West had the lowest polling percentage of 58.7 till 5 pm.

BJP’s sitting MP Jugal Kishore Sharma is aiming to make a hat-trick as he won the seat in 2014 and again in 2019. Congress has fielded its working president Raman Bhalla against him.

The constituency witnessed brisk polling as soon as voting began at 7 am. Long queues of men and women were seen outside polling booths across the constituency with 18 assembly segments.

The Jammu Lok Sabha constituency had recorded 72.16 per cent polling in 2019 and 67.8 per cent in 2014.

Elderly persons and first time voters came out in large numbers to exercise their right of franchise. Sunderbani in the Rajouri district witnessed an enthusiastic elderly voter, Dhanni Ram of 103 years cast his vote.

In Reasi an 102-year-old Haji Karam Din casts his vote showcasing age is no barrier to civic duty. Rawel Singh of 98 years and his wife Harbans Kour of 90 years of village Govindgarh in Ramgarh border area exercised their democratic right. An 86 years old Raj Dulari made sure to bring along her entire family to vote at a polling station in Peer Mitha of the Jammu city.

The commencement of polling in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections in Jammu Constituency began with enthusiasm, especially among the new voters.

The Election Commission had put in place all necessary arrangements to ensure a fair and transparent electoral process. The polling began at 7 am in all 2416 polling stations across the constituency.

In a first of its kind move towards inclusivity and environmental consciousness, the Election Commission of India (ECI) established 109 remarkable polling stations of different categories for voters in Jammu Parliamentary Constituency (PC) which went for polling today in the second phase of General Elections to Lok Sabha 2024.

These innovative polling stations viz; women manned, youth manned, PwD manned, Green Polling Stations, Border Polling Stations and Unique Polling Stations were designed to cater specifically to women, youth, Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), promote eco-friendly practices and cater to voters of different kind in the region.

The polling stations were established under specific themes in all four districts of Jammu Parliamentary Constituency.