Election Commission Gears Up for Assembly Polls in Udhampur with Enhanced Training and Security

The Election Commission has conducted training for polling staff in Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir, ahead of the assembly polls. The administration is also tightening security measures to ensure free and fair elections in the region. Elections in four constituencies will take place on October 1, 2024.

With the assembly polls approaching, the Election Commission has initiated training for polling staff in Udhampur district, Jammu and Kashmir. The training session took place on Monday at the Government Degree College in Udhampur.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Udhampur, Amod Ashok Nagpure, stated that heightened security measures are being implemented to ensure smooth, transparent, and fair elections. Udhampur district's four constituencies—Udhampur East, Udhampur West, Chenani, and Ramnagar—are slated to vote on October 1, 2024, during the third phase of the Assembly Elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

SSP Nagpure emphasized the creation of a fear-free and peaceful environment to encourage voter participation. To this end, additional CRPF personnel and J-K armed forces will be deployed alongside the district administration. He explained that security is divided into two main phases: pre-poll, which covers campaign and candidate security as well as area sanitization, and poll day security, focusing on polling station safety and movement monitoring. Flying Squad and Static Surveillance teams will be active, and strict actions will be taken against individuals with criminal records.

The Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will occur in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1. Vote counting is set for October 8. The region encompasses 90 assembly constituencies, including seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). 88.06 lakh electors are eligible to vote in these elections. In the last Assembly elections, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) won 28 seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 25, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) won 15, and the Congress obtained 12. These elections mark the first since the abrogation of Article 370. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)