Counting of votes in Budgam, Nagrota today

Srinagar, Jammu: As political parties and voters await the outcome with bated breath, counting of votes for the Budgam and Nagrota Assembly constituencies will take place today on Thursday.
The Election Commission of India has made elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of the counting process for the Budgam and Nagrota Assembly seats, where voting was held on November 11.
Sources said that the process of counting will begin at 8 a.m. with postal ballots, while the counting of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will start at 8:30 a.m.
Returning Officer for the Budgam Assembly segment, Afroza Bano on Thursday said that 15 rounds of counting will be conducted for the seat. However, Returning Officer for the Nagrota constituency, Rajesh Kumar, declined to share details about the counting process, stating that he was busy.
A total of 27 candidates are in the fray for these two constituencies, which were previously won by the National Conference and the BJP, respectively.
Field reports suggest that the outcome of the Budgam Assembly segment is likely to be decided by a narrow margin between National Conference’s Aga Mehmood and PDP’s Muntazir Mehdi. In Nagrota, BJP’s Devyani is reported to have the upper hand in the contest for the seat, which fell vacant following the demise of her father, Devinder Singh Rana.
As per the Election Commission of India, the Budgam Assembly constituency recorded a turnout of 50.01%, while the 77-Nagrota Assembly constituency registered 74.82%