E-Paper
MC elections: More polling at rural booths in Ambala
As per the state election commisision (SEC), 1.05 lakh out of 1.87 lakh voters exercised their franchise on December 27.
Voters from the rural belts of Ambala remained ahead in numbers from their urban counterparts as 56.3% polling was held for the municipal corporation seats, including mayor, here on Sunday. An average voter turnout of 65% was reported at the rural booths.
As per the state election commisision (SEC), 1.05 lakh out of 1.87 lakh voters exercised their franchise on the day. However, the polling figure was nearly 11% less than that of 2013 when 67% turnout (2.72 lakh voters) was recorded.
The booth-wise polling data suggests that the mayoral candidates of major parties garnered a lukewarm voter turnout in the urban wards despite carrying out spirited campaigns.
BJP-JJP’s mayoral candidate Dr Vandana Sharma, voted at booth no. 129, falling under ward 12, which recorded a total polling percentage of 53.61.
Congress’s Meena Aggarwal was one of the earliest to cast her vote at booth no. 143 (ward 13), where her husband Pawan Aggarwal was also the party’s polling agent. However, 55.5% voting was registered here. Booth 133, falling in the same ward, recorded the lowest turnout in the elections — 33.1%.
HJP candidate Shakti Rani Sharma and wife of former minister Venod Sharma, cast her ballot at booth no 150. However, the polling booth, which falls under ward 14, recorded merely 42.83% turnout. In similar show at booth 76, where HDF’s mayoral candidate Amisha Chawla’s votes as well, only 45.18% people turned up to cast the ballot.
Meanwhile in the rural areas, which comprise nearly 15% of the total polling booths, polling numbers were more impressive than at the urban booths.
In some areas, including Sonda, Manakpur, Dadiyana, Kakru, Mandour, Ghel Kala, Ghel Khurd and Kanwla, the average polling was above 65%. Booth no. 1 in Dadiyana, witnessed the highest voter turnout among all the booths at 78.46%. It was followed by Laharsa at 78.24%.
