A record number of 72% voters exercised their right of franchise in the Sujanpur assembly seat byelection, where polling was held in a tense but peaceful atmosphere on Wednesday. Polling remained brisk throughout the day.
This seat had fallen vacant following independent legislator Rajinder rana’s resignation from the Vidhan sabha as he wanted to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Hamirpur.
In spite of the high turnout, voters expressed annoyance with political parties at the conduct of re-elections in less than two years. Women, who came singing and wearing colourful clothes, outnumbered men at the polling stations. Rajinder, his wife Anita Rana, who is the Congress candidate from the segment, and their son Abhishek cast their votes at the Patlander polling station and claimed that the response was pro-Congress, while Bharatiya Janata Party nominee Narender Thakur cast his vote at Hamirpur. H e expressed confidence over his victory.