559 polling booths set up in Ladakh for fifth phase Lok Sabha election

Srinagar: The authorities have set up 559 polling stations across four assembly segments for over 1.74 lakh electorate in the Ladakh Lok Sabha constituency for the smooth conduct of the polls in the fifth phase on May 6.

The Ladakh Lok Sabha constituency, spread over districts of Leh and Kargil, has four assembly segments -- Kargil, Zanskar, Leh and Nubra.

The constituency has an electoral strength of 1,74,618 voters which included 86,752 males and 85,064 females, 2,799 service voters and three transgenders, an official spokesman said Tuesday.

The Kargil assembly segment has a total of 65,294 voters, including 32,895 males, 31,354 females, 1,044 service voters (1,041 male and 3 females) and one transgender voter. As many as 181 polling stations have been established in this segment, he said.

The spokesman said the Zanskar assembly segment constitutes 22,487 voters, including 11,162 males, 11,051 females and 274 male service voters.

The Election Commission has set up 84 polling stations in Zanskar.

The spokesman said the Leh assembly segment has an electoral strength of 72,689 voters, including 35,728 males, 35,746 females, 1,214 service voters (1,192 males and 22 females) and one transgender voter.

A total of 225 polling stations have been set up in Leh for the conduct of polls.

The Nubra assembly segment constitutes 14,148 voters, including 6,967 male, 6,913 female, one transgender voter and 267 service voters (248 males and 19 females).

In the assembly segment 69 polling stations have been set up, the spokesman said.

There are only four candidates in the fray from the Ladakh Lok Sabha seat.

While Rigzin Spalbar is contesting on a Congress ticket, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal is the BJP candidate.

Asgar Ali Karbalai, a Congress leader, has filed nominations as an independent candidate.

Another independent candidate Sajjad Hussain has the backing of the influential clergy in Kargil.

Thusptan Chewwang of the BJP had won the 2014 election from the constituency by a wafer-thin margin of 36 votes, defeating independent candidate Ghulam Raza and two others in the contest.

Chewwang resigned from the BJP and the Lok Sabha last year, accusing the party of not fulfilling the promises made to the people of Ladakh during the elections five years ago.

Gaik polling station (Leh segment) and Washi polling station (Nubra segment) each have only seven registered voters eligible to cast their votes. The highest number of voters -- 1,301 -- are eligible to exercise their franchise at Shynam polling station in Leh.

The highest polling station, Anlay Pho (Changthang), has been set up in Leh district at an altitude of 15,000 feet above the sea level.

The booth is barely 50 metres from the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The polling in the constituency will begin at 7 am and end at 6 pm, the spokesman said.