Campaign Draws to a Close with Mathura Set for April 26 Polls

Campaigning came to an end on Wednesday evening with Mathura set to vote for the Lok Sabha elections on Friday.

In Mathura, actor-turned-politician Hema Malini of the BJP, on a hat-trick trail, is pitted against Mukesh Dhangar of the INDIA bloc and Suresh Chandra of the BSP.

"Interestingly, few in Mathura know who the opposition candidates are. It is a one-sided contest because the voters are only concerned about Prime Minister Modi. That apart, with Jayant Choudhary now aligned with the NDA, the Jat votes are likely to go in favour of the BJP this time," claimed a local political observer.

Mathura has 19,29,549 voters, including 10,32,370 males, 8,97,114 females, and 65 third-gender voters. After withdrawals, 15 candidates remain in the fray.

District Election Officer Shailendra Kumar Singh said there will be 2,128 booths at 1103 polling stations across the town which has been divided into 35 zones and 224 sectors.

"While the other side is not even interested in campaigning, Hema Malini held regular meetings and interactive sessions with her constituents. While some of the long pending problems in the Braj area have not been solved, this election is not about local issues it seems," said Jagan Nath Poddar, a social activist in Vrindavan.