INDIA VOTES 2024: Udhampur has 65% attendance despite the rain

Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency had a significant voting percentage of 65.08 percent (till 5 pm) on Friday despite unfavorable weather and heavy rain. Jitendra Singh, the Union minister, is aiming for a hat-trick in this seat, while Chaudhary Lal Singh, the Congress contender, is Singh’s major opponent.

Early in the morning, there was a lot of rain, which discouraged many from going to vote. At seven in the morning, voting began in the hilly and difficult-to-reach constituency. Up until around 11.30 am, there was a lot of rain in every district in the constituency, including Udhampur, Kathua, Ramban, Doda, and Kishtwar. In the first two hours of calm voting in the constituency, there was a turnout of over 8.44 percent of voters.

It’s interesting to note that whereas voter participation was 70.95 percent in 2014, it was just 70.2% in the Lok Sabha election of 2019.

At the polls, a sizable contingent of elderly and first-time voters cast their ballots. Kehar Singh, 102, of Shara, Kathua, became the focal point of attention for those who came to vote after casting his ballot at Middle School, Shara, in Basohli.

The proportion of people who voted rose significantly once the rain ceased for a while. As of 1 pm, 43.11 percent of voters have cast ballots in the constituency. There are 8.45 lakh male and 7.77 lakh female voters in the constituency, for a total of 16.23 lakh voters. Among the registered voters are 403 centenarians and up to 23,637 individuals with disabilities (PWDs).

In the constituency, 2,637 voting places have been set up. There was a significant turnout at the 25 voting places set up along the International Border (IB) in the Kathua area. In all, the constituency was staffed by nearly 11,000 poll workers, including reserve personnel.

Aside from wheelchairs, every voting place has Assured Minimum Facilities (AMF). There were 19 voting places run by females (commonly known as pink polling stations), 14 run by individuals with special needs, and 17 run by young people. Twenty green voting places were also installed.