Urges people to come out in large numbers on poll day
2,338 polling stations setup, 86,394 first-time voters
Srinagar, May 22: Srinagar, May 24: Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Jammu and Kashmir, PK Pole, announced that comprehensive arrangements have been made for the sixth and final phase of the LokSabha elections in the region. Voting for the Anantnag-Poonch-Rajouri (APR) Parliamentary constituency is scheduled for May 25, and all necessary measures have been implemented to ensure a smooth and fair voting process.
CEO PK Pole told Rising Kashmir that it is crucial for people to exercise their right to vote and participate in the festival of the largest democracy. “I urge the people to come out in large numbers to vote on May 25. There is a need for massive voter participation in the democratic process, and youth should act as ambassadors for the cause, spreading the message of civic duty and participation,” he said.
Pole emphasized that polling stations are prepared to welcome voters with ample shade, drinking water, ramps, toilets, and other basic facilities to ensure a comfortable and secure voting environment.
As per the figures, the Anantnag-Poonch-Rajouri (APR) Parliamentary constituency has 18.36 lakh voters. For the upcoming election on May 25, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has set up 2,338 polling stations, most of which (2,116) are in rural areas.
The officials said that eighteen polling stations will be managed entirely by women and People with Disabilities (PwD). Webcasting will be done from 1,775 stations for transparency.
The constituency has 90 model polling stations in Anantnag. Of the 1,836,576 voters in Anantnag-Rajouri, 933,647 are male, 902,902 are female, and 27 are third gender.
There are 540 centenarian voters, one overseas voter, and 86,394 first-time voters. Voters aged 20-29 total 455,289, those aged 85 and above are 14,848, and PwD voters number 17,967. There are also 12,961 service voters.
The constituency’s elector gender ratio is 960, and its elector population ratio is 0.60. The Anantnag-Poonch-Rajouri seat covers South Kashmir in the Valley and the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu.
Twenty candidates are competing for the seat in this phase, which will take place with heightened security.
This newly carved parliamentary constituency is seeing a three-way contest between former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti of People’s Democratic Party, MianAltaf of National Conference, and ZafarIqbalManhas of Apni Party.