BJP Clinches Victory in Jammu and Udhampur; NOTA Outshines Many Candidates

BJP emerged victorious in Jammu and Udhampur Lok Sabha constituencies, with Union Minister Jitendra Singh and Jugal Kishore Sharma defeating their Congress rivals. Over 88% of the candidates, including a former minister, lost their security deposit, while the NOTA option garnered significant votes outnumbering many candidates.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has achieved a significant victory for the third consecutive time in the Jammu and Udhampur Lok Sabha constituencies. Union Minister Jitendra Singh and Jugal Kishore Sharma successfully defeated their Congress opponents, namely Choudhary Lal Singh and Raman Bhalla, with comfortable margins of 1,24,373 and 1,35,498 votes respectively.

Election Commission data highlighted that over 88% of the contesting candidates, including a former minister and Democratic Progressive Azad Party's Ghulam Mohammad Saroori, failed to secure even one-sixth of the total valid votes, leading to the forfeiture of their security deposits. Notably, the 'None of the above' (NOTA) option saw considerable use by voters, surpassing many individual candidates in both constituencies.

With over 68% voter turnout in Udhampur and 72% in Jammu, the political landscape remains dominated by the BJP despite the varied electorate's inclination towards NOTA. In Udhampur, the NOTA votes amounted to 12,938, while in Jammu, it garnered 4,645 votes, outshining many other candidates who participated in the poll.

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