CHANDIGARH, March 2: Nearly 15 per cent of the over 51 lakh eligible voters cast their vote till 12 noon for the election of mayors and all ward members in seven municipal corporations and some other municipalities of Haryana on Sunday, officials said.
Voting is being held for the election of mayors and all ward members in seven municipal corporations of Gurugram, Manesar, Faridabad, Hisar, Rohtak, Karnal, and Yamunanagar.
Additionally, by-elections for the post of mayor in Ambala and Sonipat municipal corporations, are also taking place.
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The voting is being held from 8 am to 6 pm.
Similarly, elections are being conducted for the president and all ward members of four municipal councils of Ambala Sadar, Pataudi Jatoli Mandi, Thanesar, and Sirsa. Bye-election is also being held for the post of president in municipal council Sohna, district Gurugram.
Voting is also taking place for the election of presidents and all ward members in 21 municipal committees. Bye-elections for the post of president in Assandh (Karnal district) and Ismailabad (Kurukshetra district) municipal committee are also taking place.
Among the early voters included Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who cast his vote at a polling booth in Karnal and appealed to voters to come out and cast their vote.
Casting vote is our democratic right and also our duty to exercise our franchise, he said.
Union Minister of State Krishan Pal Gurjar cast his vote at a booth in Faridabad.
Haryana Minister Anil Vij, who cast his vote in Ambala Cantt, said, “all voters should participate in the greatest festival of democracy.”
In Gurugram district, a voter turnout of nearly 13 percent was recorded by 12 noon.
Sunderlal Yadav, BJP Mayoral candidate from Manesar, where the first-ever municipal elections are being held, cast his vote at a polling booth in Manesar area.
According to Gurugram Deputy Commissioner-cum District Election Officer, Ajay Kumar, a total of 1,109 booths have been set up in the district, including for Gurugram, Manesar and Pataudi.
At the beginning of voting, a snag was encountered in an EVM machine at a polling booth in Ward 5 of the Gurugram Municipal Corporation, which delayed the voting process by around an hour, sources said.
A new machine was brought in after which the voting process began smoothly.
Gurugram Police Commissioner Vikas Kumar Arora said that more than 4,500 security personnel have been deployed to ensure smooth polling.
Haryana State Election Commissioner Dhanpat Singh said extensive arrangements, including those pertaining to security, have been made for the free, fair and transparent elections of the urban local bodies.
Singh said that 39 candidates are contesting for the posts of mayor in nine municipal corporations.Similarly, 27 candidates are in the fray for the posts of president in five municipal councils.
A total of 151 candidates are contesting for the posts of president in 23 municipal committees.
In some wards, only one candidate has filed a nomination, leading to their unopposed election. The names of such wards include Ward No. 36 of municipal corporation, Faridabad, Ward No. 22 of municipal corporation, Gurugram, Ward Nos. 8 and 11 of municipal corporation, Karnal and Ward No. 9 of municipal corporation, Yamunanagar.
Similarly, candidates have also been elected unopposed in Ward No. 24 of municipal council, Ambala Sadar, Ward Nos. 7 and 32 of municipal council, Thanesar. Besides this, 17 ward members in various municipal committees have been elected unopposed.
Polling for the Panipat municipal corporation will take place on March 9.
After the completion of the election process, vote counting will begin at 8 AM on March 12, and results will be declared on the same day.
Ahead of the polls, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini had exuded confidence that the BJP will win the civic polls and said that after the formation of the “triple-engine” government, work will be done three times faster”.
The Congress also appealed to the electorate to give a full majority to the party. (PTI)
