Kathua gears up for polls, 704 polling stations set up for over 5 lakh voters

KATHUA: The Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir is all geared up for polls during the third and final phase of Assembly Elections on October 01.

The 704 polling parties for 704 polling booths have been dispatched to their respective stations with EVMs and VVPATs, all under strict security measures.

The district comprises six Assembly Constituencies (ACs) of Bani, Billawar, Basohli, Jasrota, Kathua and Hiranagar with a total of 5,06,679 electorate, among which 2,65,420 are male voters, 2,41,256 are female and 3 are third gender.

To facilitate the voters for smooth and hassle free electoral participation, Election Commission of India (ECI) has established 704 polling stations in the district; 73 as urban polling stations and 631 as rural polling stations.

Among all the six ACs of the district, 67-Kathua (SC) AC has the highest number of 1,09,000 registered electorate, comprising 57,243 male and 51,757 female voters.

The constituency houses 131 polling stations to facilitate a smooth and inclusive voting experience for all registered voters. Among which 57 are urban polling stations and 74 are rural polling stations.

64-Billawar AC comes next with a voter population of 94,845, among which 49,590 are males and 45,255 are females. To facilitate the voters for exercising their right to franchise, 130 polling stations have been established in the constituency among which 4 are urban polling stations and 126 are rural polling stations.

The 68-Hiranagar AC has 88,261 total registered voters, of which 45,913 are males and 42,348 are females.

To ensure smooth electoral participation, 110 polling stations have been established across the constituency, of which 7 are urban and 103 are rural polling stations.

Similarly, 66-Jasrota AC has 87,092 registered electorate, among which 45,495 are males and 41,597 are females.

To ensure smooth and hassle free voting process, 132 rural polling stations have been set up in the constituency.

65-Basohli AC has a total of 69,407 voters, of which 36,396 are males and 33,009 are females besides 02 third gender voters are also registered here. In order to ensure participatory voting process, 107 polling stations have been established in the constituency, among which 5 are in urban areas and 102 are in rural areas.

Likewise, 63-Bani AC has 58,074 registered voter population, of which 30,783 are males and 27,290 are females besides one transgender voter. For smooth voting process, ECI has established a network of 94 rural polling stations in this Constituency.

In order to boost voter turnout and ensure that every voter can exercise their franchise with ease, specialized polling stations have been established across the district including all women Pink polling stations, PwD manned polling stations, youth-manned polling stations, unique polling stations and Green Polling Stations.

Meanwhile, all arrangements are being put in place for a smooth and peaceful polling in the district where voting is taking place in the third phase of General Elections to Legislative Assembly-2024 on October 01. (ANI)