The curtains came down on the two-week-long high-decibel campaign by leaders of political parties to woo the electorate in Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha constituency on Tuesday.
Over 16.23 lakh voters will decide the fate of 12 candidates in Udhampur-Doda constituency on April 19.
The Lok Sabha seat is set to witness a three-cornered contest even though the battle lines are drawn between Rajput candidates of the BJP and the Congress. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself spearheaded the campaign in support of the party candidate Dr Jitendra Singh, who is seeking a third consecutive term from the electorate. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also addressed public rallies to bolster Dr Jitendra Singh's campaign as some of his public meetings witnessed thin attendance during the campaign trail in some of the pockets of Kathua and Udhampur districts.
On the other hand, Choudhary Lal Singh of the Congress party is relying heavily on his charisma and support of the alliance partners including the National Conference and the PDP in the Chenab Valley region to give a tough fight to the sitting BJP MP. His election meetings were attended by a sizable number of people and were more vibrant.
Former Rajasthan Deputy CM Sachin Pilot and star campaigner Raj Babbar also campaigned in support of Choudhary Lal Singh. The prestigious Lok Sabha seat is set to witness a triangular contest with the entry of GM Saroori of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) in the fray.
Former CM Omar Abdullah also took out a roadshow and addressed a series of election meetings in his support across the three districts of the Chenab Valley region to counter the impact of the DPAP campaign strategy aimed at dividing the secular vote to help the BJP candidate gain a sizable margin. Saroori may not be in a position to win, but he may prove to be a spoilsport for his erstwhile party.
Both BJP and Congress candidates, presently in the fray, have won it (Udhampur) twice and that too for consecutive (two) terms. Lal Singh bagged the LS seat in 2004 and 2009 while Dr Singh wrested it from Congress in 2014 and 2019.
