SRINAGAR: The counting of votes for the Jammu and Udhampur parliamentary constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir began on Tuesday amid a three-tier security cordon and extensive camera surveillance at counting centres.
Thera are 34 candidates, including senior BJP leader and Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Jammu MP Jugal Kishore Sharma, and former ministers Choudhary Lal Singh and Raman Bhalla of the Congress, in the fray from these constituencies.
The counting will take place at the Polytechnic College and M.A.M. College in Jammu, while the Government Degree College Kathua will serve as the counting centre for the Udhampur Lok Sabha seat. Each centre is equipped with multi-tier security and round-the-clock CCTV surveillance.
CCTV cameras and videography arrangements are in place at the counting centres.
Meanwhile, officials said that the the counting has also started from Srinagar, Jammu Baramulla and Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituencies.
There are 66 candidates in the fray, including PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah, separatist-turned-mainstream politician Sajad Gani Lone and former MLA Sheikh Abdul Rashid alias Engineer Rashid, who is currently lodged in Tihar jail in a UAPA case.
The counting of votes for the Srinagar seat is taking place at the SKICC here, for the Baramulla seat at the Government Degree College (Boys), Baramulla, and for the Anantnag-Rajouri seat at the Government Degree College (Boys), Anantnag, and Government PG College, Rajouri.
Stringent security arrangements are in place and additional security personnel have been deployed at key places in the Kashmir Valley, the officials said.
