Jammu: More than 25,000 displaced Kashmiri Pandits voters from across the country are eligible to exercise their franchise in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla constituency on May 20.
The constituency is gearing up for an intense electoral showdown for the fifth phase of elections with nearly 17.32 lakh voters, of which 8.59 lakh are women, to decide the fate of 23 candidates in the fray.
The main contest is between Sajad Lone of the People’s Conference and Omar Abdullah of the National Conference.
“A total of 25,821 Kashmiri migrants are registered as voters from Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency on May 20. Of these, 12,747 are male voters and 13,074 are female voters,” Assistant Returning Officer (ARO), Migrants, Riaz Ahmed told PTI.
Twenty-six polling stations have been set up for the migrants, of which 21 are in Jammu, four in Delhi, and one in Udhampur, he said.
As Baramulla heads to the polls, with 22 candidates in the fray and 2,103 polling stations prepared to accommodate the voters, the election is poised to be a critical indicator of the political currents in Kashmir. The heightened enthusiasm and strategic alliances are expected to drive a significant voter turnout, potentially surpassing previous records.
The fate of key political figures—Omar Abdullah, Sajad Gani Lone, Engineer Rashid, and PDP’s Mir Fayaz —hangs in the balance, making this election a pivotal moment for Baramulla and Kashmir’s broader political landscape.