Special holiday for Punjab govt employees from J-K, Raj on Apr 19

Registered voters of Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan working in government establishments in Punjab are eligible for a special holiday on April 19 to go and exercise their franchise in their respective states for the Lok Sabha polls, an official said on Tuesday.

These establishments are government offices, boards, corporations and educational institutions, according to a statement. Polling for 12 of the 25 parliamentary seats in Rajasthan and one of the five in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in the first phase of the seven-phase polls. Punjab's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sibin C said that a special holiday has been declared for voters from Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan who are employed in Punjab to allow them to cast their votes in their respective states in the first phase of polling on April 19 (Friday).

A holiday has also been declared in these government establishments in Punjab for June 1, when 13 of the state's Lok Sabha seats will go to polls, the statement said. Like in the case of voters from Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan, special holiday will also be applicable to those from Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh, where polling will also take place on June 1 (Saturday), the last phase of the elections.