Braving heavy rain and icy winds, over 69 per cent of the electorate turned out to cast their votes in the high profile Udhampur constituency that went to polls on Friday in the first phase of the election in Jammu and Kashmir.

The final polling percentage was yet to come as the constituency has many polling booths in far-flung areas. The constituency witnessed 70.2 per cent polling in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The Udhampur constituency sprawls from the plains of Kathua touching Punjab to the mountainous regions of Kishtwar and Doda.

Polling percentage at 9 am was 8.44 per cent but it picked up as the day advanced and 57.09 per cent votes were cast till 3 pm and 65.08 per cent voting was recorded till 5 pm, an hour before closing of the polling.

Among the 12 candidates in the fray, the fate of the BJP candidate and Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, has been sealed in the voting machines. Choudhary Lal Singh of the Congress and GM Saroori of DPAP are the main rivals of Dr Jitendra Singh.

Paddar Nagseni in the Kishtwar district recorded the highest at more than 81 per cent followed by Kathua with more than 70.8 per cent voting. Udhampur East recorded over 69.96 per cent voting.

The BJP’s election campaign was high-pitched with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were among those who addressed public meetings in Udhampur constituency.

Home Minister Amit Shah campaigned in the Jammu constituency but in his rally also sought votes for Dr. Jitendra Singh. This is the first parliamentary election in J&K after abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.

Elaborate security arrangements were made with deployment of paramilitary forces at the polling stations. There are 16.23 lakh voters in the 18 Assembly segments of the constituency, which has five districts, including Kishtwar, Doda, Ramban, Udhampur, and Kathua.

Encompassing an expansive area of 16,707 square kilometers, the constituency boasts a diverse electorate comprising 16,23,195 eligible voters. Among them are 8,45,283 male voters, 7,77,899 female voters, and 13 third-gender voters, reflecting the inclusivity of the democratic process.

The Election Commission of India had deployed 3,658 ballot units, 3,570 control units, and 3,636 VVPATs (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the electoral process.

As many as 19 polling booths manned by women (also called as pink polling stations), 14 polling booths manned by specially abled persons and 17 were looked after by youths. Also in order to spread messages about environmental concern, there were 20 green polling stations.