Srinagar, May 12 (IANS): All polling staff and security personnel have reached their places of duty for voting in J&K’s Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency on Monday, elections officials said on Sunday.

Srinagar District Magistrate and returning officer, Dr Bilal Mohi-ud-Din Bhat said that "adequate arrangements for their comfortable stay at the polling stations including food, bedding, drinking water, toilet etc" have been made.

"I would appeal to the voters to come out in large numbers and use their democratic right to vote tomorrow so that the hard work that has gone into making arrangements for tomorrow’s voting becomes a real success," he said at a press conference here.

The Election Commission has set up 2,135 polling stations - 1,004 urban and 1,131 rural - for the 17,44,027 voters, which comprise 8,74,048 males, 8,69,916 females and 63 third-genders.

The constituency is spread over the districts of Srinagar, Budgam, Ganderbal, Pulwama, and Shopian, comprising 8 Assembly segments in Srinagar, four in Pulwama, three in Budgam, and two each in Ganderbal and Shopian.

A total of 24 candidates are in the race in this constituency, but the main battle is between Syed Ruhullah Mehdi of the National Conference, Waheed ur Rehman Para of the Peoples Democratic Party, and Mohd Ashraf Mir of J&K Apni Party.

Voting will start at 7 a.m. and end at 6 p.m.