Jammu Kashmir’s Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency recorded a voter turnout of more than 45 per cent till 3 pm on Monday, already registering its highest polling percentage in the last 40 years.
The overall polling percentage of 45.22 this time is second only to the 58.84 per cent turnout the constituency saw in 1984. Baramulla recorded a turnout of 34.89 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
“The Baramulla parliamentary constituency has recorded 45.22 per cent voting in all its polling stations up to 3,” the chief election officer of J&K said in a statement.
An official of the election department said polling was going on smoothly across the Lok Sabha constituency which comprises 18 assembly segments and is spread over the four districts of Baramulla, Bandipora, Kupwara and Budgam.
Giving out assembly segment-wise poll percentage data, the officials said the Handwara segment in Kupwara district recorded the highest turnout of 53.06 percent till 3 pm.
Uri and Langate also witnessed turnouts in excess of 50 per cent, while Bandipora, Beerwah, Budgam, Gulmarg, Karnah, Kupwara, Lolab, Pattan, Rafiabad, Sonawari, Trehgam, Baramulla, and Wagoor-Kreeri segments recorded more than 40 per cent polling each. Sopore recorded the lowest turnout at 31.11 per cent.
National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah, People’s Conference president Sajad Gani Lone and jailed head of the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) Sheikh Abdul Rashid alias Engineer Rashid are among the key candidates in the fray.
Polling will close at 6 pm.