Jammu: Over 88 per cent of candidates, including a former minister, forfeited their deposits after failing to secure one-sixth of the total valid votes cast in Udhampur and Jammu Lok Sabha constituencies in Jammu, according to Election Commission data. .
Both seats were won by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the third consecutive time.
The None of the Above (NOTA) option was taken advantage of by voters over most of the candidates in the two constituencies, including Union ministers Jitendra Singh (Udhampur) and Jugal Kishore Sharma (Jammu), who defeated their Congress rivals and former ministers Chaudhary Lal. Singh and Raman were defeated. Bhalla won by a margin of 1,24,373 votes and 1,35,498 votes.
The Union Minister got 5,71,076 votes as against Lal Singh's 4,46,703 votes.Former minister and vice-president of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) Ghulam Mohammad Saroori came third and got only 39,599 votes.
According to officials, the deposits of Saruri and nine other candidates have been forfeited for failing to secure a minimum of one-sixth of the total valid votes polled in the constituency.
12,938 voters availed the NOTA option in Udhampur constituency, where voting was held in the first phase on April 19 and over 68 per cent turnout was recorded.
The NOTA votes are the fourth highest as none of the other nine candidates were able to cross the four-figure mark.
NOTA gives voters the option to reject all candidates in a constituency.Bahujan Samaj Party's Amit Kumar got only 8,642 votes, while independent candidate Sachin Gupta finished last with only 1,463 votes.
In Jammu, where over 72 per cent voting was recorded on April 26, BJP's Sharma got 6,87,588 votes as against Bhalla's 5,52,090 votes. BSP's Jagdish Raj stood third with 10,300 votes, followed by independent Satish Poonch (5,959 votes).
NOTA polled 4,645 votes in the constituency, which was more than the remaining 18 candidates, including Ekam Sanatan Bharat Dal chief and lawyer Ankur Sharma, who polled a total of 4,278 votes.
Qari Zaheer Abbas Bhatti of All India Forward Bloc stood last with only 984 votes.
Both seats were won by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the third consecutive time.
The None of the Above (NOTA) option was taken advantage of by voters over most of the candidates in the two constituencies, including Union ministers Jitendra Singh (Udhampur) and Jugal Kishore Sharma (Jammu), who defeated their Congress rivals and former ministers Chaudhary Lal. Singh and Raman were defeated. Bhalla won by a margin of 1,24,373 votes and 1,35,498 votes.
The Union Minister got 5,71,076 votes as against Lal Singh's 4,46,703 votes.Former minister and vice-president of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) Ghulam Mohammad Saroori came third and got only 39,599 votes.
According to officials, the deposits of Saruri and nine other candidates have been forfeited for failing to secure a minimum of one-sixth of the total valid votes polled in the constituency.
12,938 voters availed the NOTA option in Udhampur constituency, where voting was held in the first phase on April 19 and over 68 per cent turnout was recorded.
The NOTA votes are the fourth highest as none of the other nine candidates were able to cross the four-figure mark.
NOTA gives voters the option to reject all candidates in a constituency.Bahujan Samaj Party's Amit Kumar got only 8,642 votes, while independent candidate Sachin Gupta finished last with only 1,463 votes.
In Jammu, where over 72 per cent voting was recorded on April 26, BJP's Sharma got 6,87,588 votes as against Bhalla's 5,52,090 votes. BSP's Jagdish Raj stood third with 10,300 votes, followed by independent Satish Poonch (5,959 votes).
NOTA polled 4,645 votes in the constituency, which was more than the remaining 18 candidates, including Ekam Sanatan Bharat Dal chief and lawyer Ankur Sharma, who polled a total of 4,278 votes.
Qari Zaheer Abbas Bhatti of All India Forward Bloc stood last with only 984 votes.
