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Ludhiana municipal polls: 73.9% voters turn up to seal fate of 112
A whopping 73
A whopping 73.9% voters came out to vote for elections to the six municipal councils in Ludhiana district on Sunday.
However, in view of the Covid-19 pandemic and foggy weather, the voter percentage recorded a dip from the last elections in 2015, when 81% people had cast their votes.
Municipal elections were held for 112 wards in Khanna, Jagraon, Samrala, Raikot, Doraha and Payal.
As voting started at 8am and ended at 4pm, 69.7% voters cast their vote in Khanna, 67.7% in Jagraon, 74% in Samrala, 73.9% in Raikot, 74.8% in Doraha and 83.1% in Payal.
Two nagar panchayat bypolls were also held – for ward number 8 (general) in Mullanpur Dakha and ward number 6 of Sahnewal – where 68.5% and 61.2%, respectively, polling was recorded – bringing the total turnout across the district on Sunday at 71%.
Counting of votes will be done on February 17 and results will be declared the same day.
The largest council in the district, Khanna, with 33 wards, recorded less than 70% polling compared to the 77% turnout in the previous polls in 2015. Out of the 2.03 lakh registered voters across the six councils in Ludhiana, 93,584 are in Khanna, including 49,121 males and 44,461 females.
Payal recorded the highest polling at 83.1%, followed by Doraha with 74.8%.
Due to foggy weather, the day started with low polling across all municipalities.
While 14.1% votes were polled till 10am in Samrala, voting percentage remained dismal at 18.7% till 10am at Raikot. Similarly, just 12.7% voters came out to exercise their franchise in Khanna till 10am, while in Payal the figure was 16.81% till this time.
Voting picked up after 2pm, when 69% votes were polled in all.
In Raikot, party workers were seen visiting houses and urging the residents to visit the polling booths after 2pm. Some supporters even ferried the elderly to the polling booths in their vehicles.
Officials dealing with the election process said the dip in the voter turnout could be attributed to these elections being the first since the Covid-19 outbreak in Ludhiana, adding that drop was also a reflection of free and fair polling.
Voters of all ages come forward
At a number of polling booths across Payal, Doraha, Khanna, Jagraon and Raikot, a large number of youngsters, mostly in their 20s, were seen escorting their elderly family members to the polling booths.
At other places, adults had brought their children along. “I wanted to show my six-year-old daughter the voting process. It is important to vote and I have never missed any election,” said Jatinder Singh, a 35-year-old resident of Khanna.
Senior citizens were seen in large number at all polling booths. A 90-year-old voter, Om Parkash, showed his indomitable spirit by arriving in a wheelchair, along with a glucose drip. He had never missed a chance to vote all his life, he said enthusiastically.
The chance to vote for the first time had youngsters all enthused.
The first-timers, who came to the polling stations with their family members or friends, said they were excited to be a part of the process and the youth should come forward to elect educated and unbiased candidates for a better future.
“It is exciting to be a part of the democratic process. It was my first time, so I was bit nervous, but my grandfather joined me,” said Gursimran Singh, 20, with his grandfather Mohinder Singh, 79, beaming behind him.
Most give masks the go-by
While the election staff and all police officials on duty were sporting face masks, majority of the voters, even the elderly, arrived without masks. At some places, those on election duty were seen directing the voters to wear masks, but to no avail.
(With inputs by Harsimran Singh Batra and Mohit Khanna)
