Like other parts of the country, the counting of the votes for five Lok Sabha seats of Jammu and Kashmir will start on Tuesday morning to complete a nearly two-month-long process.
The Chief Electoral Officer of J&K has established nine vote counting centres for five constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir. Migrant votes will be counted separately, while the votes for the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency are being counted at two locations.
Officials confirmed that all necessary arrangements, including security and staffing, have been made at the counting centres. The overall voter turnout was 58.46 percent, the highest in 35 years. The voter turnout in the three parliamentary constituencies in the Kashmir Valley was 50.86 percent, a significant increase from 19.16 percent in the 2019 general elections.
Srinagar, Baramulla, and Anantnag-Rajouri recorded voter turnouts of 38.49 percent, 59.1 percent, and 54.84 percent, respectively, the highest in three decades. Udhampur and Jammu in the Jammu region saw turnouts of 68.27 percent and 72.22 percent, respectively.
100 candidates are in the fray for five Lok Sabha seats in J&K
The vote counting, scheduled for June 4, will determine the fate of 100 candidates, including senior BJP leader and Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh, BJP two-time Lok Sabha member Jugal Sharma, and two former Chief Ministers, Omar Abdullah of the National Conference (NC) and Mehbooba Mufti of the People's Democratic Party (PDP).
Other notable candidates include former Ministers Raman Bhalla and Choudhary Lal Singh of Congress, GM Saroori of Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), Aga Ruhullah Mehdi and Mian Altaf of National Conference, Ashraf Mir of Apni Party, and Sajjad Lone of People's Conference. Former MLA Engineer Rashid is contesting from Tihar Jail for the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat.
In Udhampur, where Union Minister Jitendra Singh seeks a third term, votes will be counted at Government Degree College, Kathua. Singh is up against 11 other candidates, including two-time former Lok Sabha member Lal Singh and GM Saroori.
Baramulla's vote counting will be held at Government Degree College (Boys), Baramulla. Omar Abdullah faces 21 candidates, including prominent figures Sajjad Lone and Engineer Rashid. Among the 14 independents, two are women.
In the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency, divided by the Pir Panjal range, votes will be counted at Government Degree College (Boys), Anantnag, and Government PG College, Rajouri. Mehbooba Mufti faces a significant challenge from NC's Mian Altaf, alongside 10 Independents and eight other candidates, including BJP-supported Apni Party's Zaffar Manhas.
The Srinagar constituency, with the highest number of 24 candidates, will have votes counted at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Center (SKICC) along the banks of Dal Lake. Strong candidates include NC's Agha Ruhullah, Ashraf Mir of Apni Party, and PDP youth leader Waheed Para.
In Jammu, where BJP's Jugal Kishore aims for a third consecutive win, counting will take place at Government Polytechnic College and Government MAM College. Raman Bhalla, working president of the J&K unit of Congress, is among the 21 other candidates.
Counting of Kashmiri migrant votes will be conducted at Government College for Women, Gandhi Nagar, Jammu; Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Udhampur, and JK House, New Delhi.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pandurang K Pole chaired a review meeting to ensure district preparedness for the vote counting. The meeting, attended virtually by district election officers and assistant returning officers, focused on arrangements for counting, security, and welfare provisions for polling personnel.
The CEO directed officials to ensure adequate arrangements for counting postal ballots, electronically transmitted postal ballot systems (ETPBS), and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips. Emphasis was placed on training officials to maintain decorum and ensuring CCTV and videography at the centres.
Nine counting centres have been established for the Lok Sabha polls in Jammu and Kashmir, including:
- Government Degree College (Boys), Baramulla for Baramulla constituency
- Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) for the Srinagar constituency.
- Government Degree College (Boys), Anantnag,
- Government PG College, Rajouri for the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency.
- Government Degree College, Kathua for Udhampur constituency.
- Government Polytechnic College and Government MAM College, Jammu for the Jammu constituency.
- Government College for Women, Gandhi Nagar, Jammu for ARO Migrant Jammu.
- Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Udhampur for ARO Migrant Udhampur.
- 5 Prithviraj Road J&K House, New Delhi for ARO Migrant Delhi.
