Udhampur Lok Sabha seat recorded 65% voter turnout

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Around 65.08% of voters registered their choice on Friday in the first phase of the Lok Sabha election in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur parliamentary constituency, officials said.

Polling began at 7 am in 2,637 polling stations across the constituency, officials were quoted as saying in PTI report.

This is the first election in Jammu and Kashmir after the Narendra Modi-led government repealed Article 370.

Voting will decide the fate of 12 candidates, including Union minister Jitendra Singh who is eyeing a third term after winning the seat for the BJP in 2014 and 2019.

This is the first major electoral battle after the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories on August 5, 2019.

Prominent among others in the fray include Congress leader and two-time former Member of Parliament Choudhary Lal Singh and the DPAP’s G M Saroori besides Six independents.

The Udhampur Lok Sabha seat is one of six Parliamentary constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir UT.

The constituency spans 20,230 square kilometres of steep Himalayan terrain and is the largest in terms of geographical extent.

The Lok Sabha seat of Udhampur comprises 17 assembly constituencies, originating from four districts: Kishtwar, Doda, Udhampur, and Kathua.

The BJP has held the Lok Sabha seat of Udhampur for the past decade. Dr Jitendra Singh, who occupies the crucial position of Minister of State, has been fielded for the third time.

While the BJP is said to be the front-runner, Jitendra Singh and Choudhary Lal Singh of the Congress are now engaged in a fierce contest in Udhampur.

On June 4, the votes will be counted.

In the 2019 elections, the constituency saw a voter turnout of 70.95%.

List of candidates:

2019 result:

Dr Jitendra Singh of the BJP won the Udhampur Lok Sabha election in 2019, receiving a vote share of 61.38%.

Vikramaditya Singh of the Congress received 31% of the vote.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow