Postal ballot voting for employees conducted in segment of Jammu LS seat

Jammu, Apr 20 (PTI) To ensure the democratic participation of all eligible voters, postal ballot voting was on Saturday successfully conducted in a segment of the Jammu Lok Sabha constituency which is going to polls in the second phase on April 26, an official spokesman said.

As many as 48 employees from different departments, who opted for the postal ballot voting, availed of the facility in the Kalakote-Subderbani assembly constituency, the spokesperson said.

The postal ballot initiative provided a convenient and accessible avenue for employees to cast their votes who are associated with election work. It has emerged as a beacon of accessibility, allowing employees to fulfil their civic duty without the constraints of physical presence at polling stations, the spokesperson said.

District Election Officer Rajouri, Om Prakash Bhagat, along with Deputy Inspector General, Rajouri-Poonch Range, Tejinder Singh and Senior Superintendent of Police, Amrit Pal Singh also visited Kalakote-Sunderbani Assembly Constituency.

They reviewed the preparedness for the upcoming elections in the segment, including home voting scheduled for Sunday.

They also assessed security measures and logistical arrangements and directed all concerned stakeholders to ensure a smooth and transparent process for the electoral process, the spokesperson said.

Later, the District Election Officer along with the police officers and Additional Deputy Commissioner, Kalakote, Mohd Tanveer also visited the dispatch centre established in boys higher secondary school Kalakote, the spokesperson said.

Jammu Lok Sabha seat, which was reshaped on the recommendations of the delimitation commission in 2022, comprises a total of 18 segments and is spread across three districts of Jammu, Samba and Reasi districts besides one segment of Rajouri.

Besides Kalakote-Sunderbani, 11 segments of Bishnah (SC), Suchetgarh (SC), R S Pura-Jammu South, Bahu, Jammu East, Nagrota, Jammu West, Jammu North, Marh (SC), Akhnoor (SC) and Chamb falls in Jammu district, Ramgarh (SC), Samba and Vijaypur in Samba district and Gulabgarh (ST), Reasi and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi in Reasi.

Among the 23 candidates in the fray from the constituency, BJP’s incumbent MP Jugal Kishore and Raman Bhalla of Congress are engaged in a direct fight.

Kishore is looking for a hat-trick of wins after successfully retaining the seat in the 2014 and 2019 polls.

Prominent among others in the fray are Jagdish Raj from Bahujan Samaj Party and Ankur Sharma from Ekam Sanatan Bharat Dal.