Voting picks up in Nagrota bypoll

Jammu, Nov 11 (PTI) Polling in the Nagrota Assembly by-election picked up on Tuesday after a slow start due to chilly morning conditions, officials said.

Voting began at 7 am across 154 polling stations on the outskirts of Jammu city and was underway smoothly with no untoward incident reported so far, they said. Polling will conclude at 6 pm.

Long queues were seen on polling stations in the constituency. At Katal Batal polling stations, former Naib Sarpanch Girdari Lal says that huge rush has emerged at polling stations.

"Voting is going on peacefully. There is enthusiasm among voters here. People are voting here in large numbers. All arrangements are put in places", he said.

The contest is largely triangular, involving the BJP, National Conference (NC) and the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP).

The BJP has fielded Devyani Rana, daughter of former MLA Devender Singh Rana whose death necessitated the bypoll. She is is seeking to capitalise on public sympathy and her father’s goodwill.

Rana is pitted against NC nominee and sitting District Development Council (DDC) member Shamim Begum, and JKNPP president Harsh Dev Singh, a former state Education Minister and three-time MLA from Ramnagar.

Rana, an economics graduate from the University of California and currently managing her family’s businesses, has campaigned on a platform of “professional and inclusive development”.

Begum has banked on grassroots outreach and organisational support from the NC to project continuity in local governance.

Singh, contesting Nagrota for the first time, has highlighted his legislative experience and asserted himself as an alternative to both major parties.

A total of 97,893 voters are eligible to decide the fate of 10 candidates in the bypoll, which was necessitated by the death of BJP MLA Devender Singh Rana on October 31 last year.

Voters are lined up at Kol Kandoli polling station waiting for their turn to poll votes. Sunita Devi, who polled her vote, says it is for continuance of the development of the Nagrota area.

Nagrota has alternated between the BJP and NC over the last five Assembly elections since 1996. The Congress has not fielded a candidate and has not formally joined the NC campaign despite being part of the alliance at the state level. PTI AB SKY SKY