Srinagar/Jammu, Sep 24 (IANS): Polling staff and security forces have reached their designated polling stations in six districts of J&K where voting for 26 seats in the second of the three-phase Assembly elections starts at 7 a.m. on Wednesday.
The districts going to vote are Poonch, Rajouri, and Reasi districts in the Jammu division and Ganderbal, Srinagar and Budgam districts of the Kashmir Valley.
A total of 25.78 lakh voters will decide the fate of 239 candidates including bigwigs like National Conference leader and former Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, who is fighting elections from two constituencies - Ganderbal and Budgam.
Others in the race include former senior ministers, NC's Abdul Rahim Rather and PDP's Ghulam Nabi Hanjura, both fighting each other in the Chrar-e-Sharief Assembly constituency in Budgam.
Another senior minister, Ali Muhammad Sagar of the NC is fighting elections from the Khanyar Assembly constituency of Srinagar while Apni Party President and former minister Altaf Bukhari is fighting from the Chanapora constituency of Srinagar district.
Former Minister, Hakim Mohammad Yaseen, of the KDF, is fighting elections from the Khansahib constituency of Budgam district. Congress' J&K chief Tariq Hameed Karra is contesting from the Central Shalteng seat.
Senior police officers in Jammu and Srinagar said that the security forces have been deployed in sufficient strength to secure the polling stations, dominate areas around polling stations, and also secure the passage of the voters and the poll staff to various polling stations.
In Poonch, Rajouri, and Reasi districts of Jammu division, over 4,000 soldiers drawn from the elite Para Commandos are deployed in densely forested areas and mountain tops to ensure that the terrorists are kept at bay during Wednesday's poll process.
Security-wise, Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal districts are less challenging for the security forces than the three districts of the Jammu division.
Reports said that all poll staff, EVMs and other polling material had reached the polling stations in the six districts going to vote on Wednesday. Polling stations have been taken over by the security forces to ensure the safety of the polling staff and the voters.
In the Valley, there are 15 Assembly constituencies going to vote - Kangan (ST), Ganderbal, Hazratbal, Khanyar, Habbakadal, Lal Chowk, Channapora, Zadibal, Eidgah, Central Shalteng, Budgam, Beerwah, Khansahib, Chrar-i-Sharief and Chadoora while as in Jammu division, 11 Assembly constituencies - Gulabgarh (ST), Reasi, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi, Kalakote, Sunderbani, Nowshera, Rajouri (ST), Budhal (ST), Thannamandi (ST), Surankote(ST), Poonch Haveli, and Mendhar (ST).
According to the latest electoral rolls, 25,78,099 lakh voters are eligible to cast their ballot in this phase comprising 13,12,730 lakh male voters, 12,65,316 lakh female voters, and 53 third gender voters.
During this phase, 93 candidates are in the fray in the Srinagar district, followed by 46 in Budgam, 34 in Rajouri, 25 in Poonch, 21 in Ganderbal, while 20 candidates are contesting in the Reasi district.
The EC has established 3,502 polling stations - 1,056 urban polling stations and 2,446 rural polling stations.
To enhance voter participation, 157 special polling stations have been established in the second phase including 26 polling booths managed by women as Pink Polling Stations, 26 polling stations manned by specially-abled persons, 26 polling stations manned by youths, 31 Border polling stations, 26 green polling stations and 22 Unique Polling stations.
The voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.