Notification issued for Srinagar, Udhampur LS seats

JAMMU: The Election Commission of India on Tuesday issued notification for General Elections for two Parliamentary Constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir, besides 95 constituencies spread across 12 states where phase two of the Lok Sabha elections will be held on April 18.

With this, the poll process has been kick started in Udhampur-Doda and Srinagar Parliamentary Constituencies.

As per the notification issued, last date of filing nominations has been fixed on March 26, while the scrutiny of papers will be held on March 27 and the last date of withdrawal of candidature is March 29 up to 1500 hours.

By the evening of March 29, a clear picture on the number of candidates in each of the 97 constituencies will emerge.

The voting hours has been fixed from 0700 hours to 1800 hours.

All parliamentary constituencies in Tamil Nadu (39 seats) and Puducherry (one seat) will go for polling in the second phase.

Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal will see polling in all the seven phases.

In the second phase, eight UP constituencies including Agra, Aligarh and Mathura, three in West Bengal, including Darjeeling and five in Bihar will go for polls.

UP has 80 seats, while West Bengal and Bihar have 42 and 40 Lok Sabha seats respectively.

The election will pit the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance against mostly different opposition groupings in various states, including of Congress, the Left and regional forces who are continuing to work out a grand alliance to minimise a division of votes against the saffron party.

The BJP has worked out a seat-sharing formula with some new allies and several old partners, by even making concessions in states such as Bihar.

However, opposition parties are yet to do so in several states.