RAJOURI: Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina on Saturday exercised his franchise in his home constituency in Rajouri district and thanked the voters for turning up in large numbers to strengthen democracy in the Union Territory.
Rajouri is part of the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency where polling is underway in the sixth phase of elections to decide the fate of 20 candidates, including PDP president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.
Mufti faces a major challenge from former minister of the National Conference and influential Gujjar leader Mian Altaf, and Apni Party’s Zafar Iqbal Khan Manhas who is backed by the BJP. Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) leader Mohamad Saleem Parray and 10 independents are also trying their luck from the constituency.
Anantnag-Rajouri is the last of the five parliamentary seats in Jammu and Kashmir and had so far 44.41 percent polling till 3 pm.
“This is the festival of democracy and we are thankful to the people of Jammu and Kashmir for turning up in record-breaking numbers to exercise their franchise for the election of new Government,” Raina told reporters after casting his vote at Lamberi east polling station in Rajouri.
Referring to the voter turnout in the past four phases, especially in Kashmir, the BJP leader said: “I am hopeful that the people in Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat will follow suit and vote in a bumper way.” Congratulating the people for strengthening democracy, Raina said, “I am confident that the people in Jammu and Kashmir and rest of the country will vote in the interest of the nation and ensure a third term for Narendra Modi who has worked for the benefit of all sections of the society, especially the poor.”
Meanwhile, the BJP supporters missed a party candidate from the constituency but said they have voted for a candidate who is being supported by the national party. “It would have been better if we had our own candidate from the seat. But since the BJP decided to support a candidate from a regional party, we faced no difficulty in casting our vote,” said BJP worker Sham Lal of Nowshera. (Agencies)
