Lok Sabha polls 2024: Jammu and Kashmir votes in Phase 1. A look at the phase's key seat Udhampur

Election fever is on across India as the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections started on Friday (Apr 19). The elections will be held in seven phases- April 19, April 26, May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1. The counting of votes will be done on June 4.

The Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir will be voting in five phases this time- April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, and May 20. In the first phase, voting is being held in the Udhampur constituency on Friday (Apr 19).

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Notifications for Udhampur constituency

Udhampur is a crucial constituency in the valley. The notification for the constituency was issued on March 20 while March 27 was the last date for filing nominations. The last date for withdrawal of candidature was March 30.

When will Udhampur vote?

Voting in Udhampur will be held on April 19- which is the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections. The counting of votes will be done on June 4.

A few details about Udhampur

It is the second-largest Lok Sabha constituency in Jammu and Kashmir. Udhampur comprises 17 assembly seats. Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Dr Jitendra Singh is the current Lok Sabha MP from Udhampur.

The Udhampur segment is traditionally considered a Rajput constituency. This is the first time that the constituency will be voting following the abrogation of Article 370 by the Modi government.

What happened in previous Lok Sabha polls?

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Dr Jitendra Singh won the elections with over 724,000 votes whileVikramaditya Singh of the congress secured second positionwith 367,000 votes. The third spot was bagged by Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) leader Harsh Dev Singh.

In the 2014 elections, Dr Singh had emerged victorious by a margin of 487,000 votes while the thenCongress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad secured426,000 votes.