Voting commenced in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha election in Kashmir’s Srinagar constituency on Monday, with 17.48 lakh voters eligible to decide among 24 candidates.
The polling began at 7 am at 2,135 polling stations across the constituency.
Security arrangements were tight, with a multi-layer security blanket thrown around polling stations, distribution centers, and strong rooms across the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency, which includes entire districts of Srinagar, Ganderbal, Pulwama, and parts of Budgam and Shopian districts.
The National Conference (NC) fielded influential Shia leader and former minister Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, while the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) named its youth unit president Waheed Para as the candidate.
Apni Party’s Mohammad Ashraf Mir and DPAP’s Amir Ahmad Bhat are also in the fray, along with 20 others, including two women. Whoever wins will be going to Parliament for the first time.
The voter turnout in the redrawn Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency, following the delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir in 2022, will be closely watched, as most areas had previously witnessed low polling percentages due to boycott calls given by separatists.
A total of 17,47,810 voters have been enrolled in phase IV, including 8,75,938 men, 8,71,808 women, and 64 third-gender voters. There are around 11,682 persons with disabilities and 705 voters above the age of 100 years.
As many as 2,135 polling stations have been set up across Srinagar, Ganderbal, Pulwama, and parts of Budgam and Shopian districts, with 26 special polling stations for migrant voters of Kashmir Division, 21 in Jammu, four in Delhi, and one in Udhampur District.
