Civic elections: Polling teams dispatched to 1,109 booths

Each polling team has a presiding officer, an assistant presiding officer, and two polling officers, at each booth. At polling stations with over 1,000 registered voters, an additional polling officer has been deployed to help voters

Published on: Mar 2, 2025, 05:10:14 IST

By Leena Dhankhar

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Gurugram

Polling teams on their way to their assigned booths, where voting will begin at 8am and continue until 6pm. (Parveen Kumar/HT PHOTO)

Municipal elections will be held across Haryana today, including the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram, with necessary preparations completed on Saturday. Polling teams were dispatched to 1,109 polling booths in Gurugram, Manesar, Sohna, Pataudi-Jatauli Mandi, and Farrukhnagar. Gurugram district election officer and deputy commissioner Ajay Kumar has directed all polling officials to ensure free and fair polls for the civic bodies, officials said.

Polling teams have reached their assigned booths, where voting is scheduled to begin at 8am and continue until 6pm. Officials have been instructed to conduct a polling drill at 7am in the presence of candidates or their polling agents, ensuring that the process runs smoothly before voting opens to public.

Each polling team has a presiding officer, an assistant presiding officer, and two polling officers, at each booth. At polling stations with over 1,000 registered voters, an additional polling officer has been deployed to help voters. The returning officers have been told to check that no polling personnel can leave their booths before voting is over for the day and all electronic voting machines (EVM) and election forms are returned to designated collection centres.

According to the state election commission’s guidelines, the use of mobile phones is prohibited inside polling stations and any violations will be met with legal action.

Voting through separate EVMs

In most municipal areas, except for the Sohna Municipal Council and Ward 22 of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), two separate EVMs have been installed at every booth — one for the election of the mayor/chairperson and another for selecting the ward member. The administration has urged voters to be aware of this system, so that they cast their votes in the correct manner.

In order to vote in the municipal polls, residents need to carry a valid voter ID or any other approved identification document. If a voter does not have a voter ID, he/she can use alternative identity documents such as a passport, driving licence, PAN card, Aadhaar card, government employee ID, pension payment orders, or a photo identification issued by a bank. Only registered voters, whose names appear on the official voter’s list will be allowed to vote.

To maintain law and order during polls, the Haryana Excise Act has put in place a complete ban on liquor sales in municipal areas and within a 3-km radius on March 1 (pre-election day), March 2 (voting day) and March 12 (counting day). All liquor shops, bars, hotels and establishments serving alcohol will remain closed during this period.

Polling arrangements

Voting will take place at 905 booths in the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram, 96 in Manesar, 47 in Sohna, 45 in Pataudi-Jatauli Mandi, and 16 in Farrukhnagar. To handle any unexpected situations, 333 reserve polling teams have also been deployed.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leena Dhankhar
Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest. Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents. Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure. Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing. Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity. Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations. Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling. A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.Read More

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