Polling in Kashmir and MP begins

Srinagar: Polling for Srinagar Parliamentary constituency began today amid unprecedented security arrangements. Majority polling stations in the constituency, spread over three districts of Srinagar, Badgam and Ganderbal consisting 15 Assembly segments, were yet to receive first voter. However, in the some rural areas of Ganderbal and Badgam districts, besides Rajbagh in Srinagar city, some voters have exercised their franchise.

Polling started on a slow note due to cold conditions but will pick up as the day progress, authorities said. As many as 1,559 polling stations have been set up for 13.73 lakh electorate to exercise their democratic right. Former chief minister and president of the opposition National Conference (NC) Dr Farooq Abdullah and ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) nominee Nazir Ahmad Khan are among nine candidates seeking mandate from the constituency.

The other candidates are Bikram Singh of Liberal Democratic Party, Chetan Sharma of Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha, Sajad Reshi of Rashtriya Samajwadi Party (S), and independent candidates Sajjad Hussain Beigh, Ghulam Hassan Dar, Farooq Ahmad Dar and Mehraj Khurshid Malik. However, the main contest is between Dr Abdullah and Mr Khan.

Bypolls: Voting begins in MP

 Polling commenced this morning in Bhind District’s Ater and Umaria District’s Bandhavgarh (Scheduled Tribes) Assembly constituencies where Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail machines, 830 in number, are being employed for the first time in Madhya Pradesh. The official voting timings are 0700-1700 hrs. A mock poll preceded the exercise of franchise.

Ater has 288 polling centres – all of them declared sensitive – and ten companies of Central Armed Police Forces are deployed while the other constituency has 264 centres, including 46 sensitive ones, and a couple of companies are stationed. As many as 909 electronic voting machines were placed in Ater and 361 in Bandhavgarh.
In Ater, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s Dr Arvind Bhadoria is in an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation against Mr Hemant Katare of the principal-opposition Congress while in Bandhavgarh the saffron camp is represented by Mr Shivnarayan Singh whereas the Congress reposed faith in Ms Savitri Singh. A total 21 contestants are trying their fortunes in Ater, which has a 2,11,588-strong electorate while the corresponding figures are five and 2,01,200 in the second constituency. Counting is scheduled on Thursday. The Ater by-election was necessitated by the demise of the then Leader of the Opposition Satyadev Katare and the Bandhavgarh bypoll is taking place following Mr Gyan Singh being elected to the Lok Sabha. (UNI)

Bhopal: Polling commenced this morning in Bhind District’s Ater and Umaria District’s Bandhavgarh (Scheduled Tribes) Assembly constituencies where Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail machines, 830 in number, are being employed for the first time in Madhya Pradesh. The official voting timings are 0700-1700 hrs.

A mock poll preceded the exercise of franchise.
Ater has 288 polling centres – all of them declared sensitive – and ten companies of Central Armed Police Forces are deployed while the other constituency has 264 centres, including 46 sensitive ones, and a couple of companies are stationed. As many as 909 electronic voting machines were placed in Ater and 361 in Bandhavgarh.

In Ater, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s Dr Arvind Bhadoria is in an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation against Mr Hemant Katare of the principal-opposition Congress while in Bandhavgarh the saffron camp is represented by Mr Shivnarayan Singh whereas the Congress reposed faith in Ms Savitri Singh. A total 21 contestants are trying their fortunes in Ater, which has a 2,11,588-strong electorate while the corresponding figures are five and 2,01,200 in the second constituency.

Counting is scheduled on Thursday. The Ater by-election was necessitated by the demise of the then Leader of the Opposition Satyadev Katare and the Bandhavgarh bypoll is taking place following Mr Gyan Singh being elected to the Lok Sabha. (UNI)