Over 3.5 lakh voters to exercise their franchise in Rajouri tomorr

Jammu, Nov 22 (UNI) Over three and a half lakh voters would cast their franchise tomorrow in four constituencies of Rajouri district in the second phase of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections under tight security cover.

''3,56,318, voters will participate in electoral process tomorrow and decide the fate of 59 candidates including two women contestants in four constituencies of Rajouri district,'' an official spokesman told UNI.

''The total number of voters including 1,85,084 males and 1,71,234 females will be voting tomorrow in Darhal, Rajouri, Kalakote and Nowshera constituencies,'' he said.

The spokesman further said 388 polling booths have been set up for the second phase of polling in Rajouri district of Jammu region while tight security arrangements have been put in place in and around the polling venues to foil any attempt by the miscreants and the anti-national elements to disrupt the polls, they added.

''Eleven candidates will be contesting in Nowshera constituency while in Darhal constituency, 12 candidates including a woman contestant Sheraz Begum are in the fray,'' official sources maintained.

In Kalakote however, there are 13 contestants fighting for their destiny while Rajouri assembly segment would have the highest number of 23 candidates in the fray.

In 2002 assembly elections, an independent candidate, Thakur Puran Singh, was elected from Darhal constituency while Congress candidate Romesh Chander won the Nowshera seat.

National Conference candidates Rachpal Singh and Choudhary Mohammad Aslam won the Kalakote and Rajouri seats respectively by defeating their nearest rivals from the Congress in both the constituencies.

In the first phase of polling held on November 17, three segments of Poonch district in Jammu region had gone to polls.

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