EC appoints Section Magistrates to monitor EVM functionality
1488 polling booths for smooth voting process
Exclusive Pink polling booths for women installed
Staff along with EVMs reaches all polling stations amid tight security
JAMMU, Apr 25: JAMMU: Voting for 89 seats across 13 states will be conducted for the second phase of the LokSabha election 2024 tomorrow. The campaigning for Phase 2 ended on Wednesday, April 24.
In Phase 2 of the LokSabha elections, polling is scheduled in all 20 seats of Kerala, 14 of the 28 seats in Karnataka, 13 seats in Rajasthan, eight seats each in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, seven seats in Madhya Pradesh, five seats each in Assam and Bihar, three seats each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and one seat each in Manipur, Tripura and Jammu and Kashmir.
This is the second LokSabha seat in Jammu and Kashmir to go to polls in this election. Earlier, polling was held in the Udhampur seat on April 19, recording a voter turnout of over 65 per cent.
A total of 17,80,835 voters, including 9,21,095 male and 8,59,712 female voters, besides 28 third-gender electorates, are enrolled in the Jammu LokSabha constituency, they said.
Meanwhile, the polling staff, accompanied by Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), has successfully reached all polling stations across the Jammu-ReasiLokSabha seat, amidst heightened security measures in the region, particularly around the polling stations.
In a bid to ensure fair and seamless polls, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has appointed Section Magistrates tasked with closely monitoring any faulty EVMs in all polling booths of the constituency.
Senior officer of the J&K Election Department, Ramshshwar, informed Rising Kashmir, stating, “Section Magistrates have been appointed by the ECI to keep a close watch on all the polling stations on faulty/non-functional EVMs, in case any. One Section Magistrate will keep an eye on 5-7 polling stations.”
“Section Magistrates have been appointed by the ECI to keep a close watch on all the polling stations on faulty/non-functional EVMs, in case any,” senior officer of J&K Election Department, Ramshshwar informed Rising Kashmir, adding, “one Section Magistrate will keep an eye on 5-7 polling stations”.
The Jammu-ReasiLokSabha seat encompasses three districts: Jammu, Samba, and Reasi, with a total of 18 Assembly segments. Jammu comprises 11 segments, Samba District comprises 04, and Reasi comprises 03 Assembly segments.
With a total of 1488 polling booths/stations in Jammu, corresponding to the 11 Assembly segments falling within the Jammu-Reasi seat, an equal number of EVMs—1488—have been dispatched to facilitate the electoral process.
Furthermore, the constituency boasts 54 Pink Polling booths, exclusively dedicated to women, staffed entirely by female personnel. Additionally, there are 18 polling booths catering to physically challenged individuals, along with 18 Model Polling booths. In an eco-friendly initiative, 18 green polling stations have been designated, where new voters will plant trees/plants. Prohibitory orders came into effect from Wednesday evening, following the conclusion of campaigning for this seat.
Previously known as the Jammu-Poonch seat, the Jammu-ReasiLokSabha seat has been clinched by the BJP for two consecutive terms—2014 and 2019. BJP’s Jugal Kishore Sharma emerged victorious in both elections, defeating Congress candidate Raman Bhalla by a significant margin in 2019.
Among the 22 candidates vying for the Jammu-ReasiLokSabha seat, the main contest is anticipated between BJP’s two-time incumbent MP, Jugal Kishore, and Congress candidate Raman Bhalla, supported by NC and PDP.
