E-Paper
New Gurgaon springs poll vault record
Feeling cheated at the hands of the ‘corrupt administrative and political system’, the residents of privately developed townships and condos turned up at the polling stations in record numbers on Thursday, reports Sanjeev K Ahuja.
Feeling cheated at the hands of the ‘corrupt administrative and political system’, the residents of privately developed townships and condos turned up at the polling stations in record numbers on Thursday. The average turnout was 47 per cent compared to a measly 12 per cent in the last elections.
New Gurgaon residents came up with a big surprise. A hefty 57 per cent cast the ballot in South City. The Gurgaon Parliamentary constituency comprising 75 per cent rural voters, recorded a 60 per cent polling on May 7. “No one wanted to be tagged as Pappu. The resident bodies told the people that if they did not vote their community’s concerns would continue to be rejected in the local governance process. The people understood that bureaucrats and politicians had started to ignore them. This made them go out and vote,” Madan Mohan Bhalla of Hamilton Court condominium said.
During the 2004 general elections hardly any candidate visited the New Gurgaon localities. This time too the candidates’ presence was only symbolic. The candidates had thought the people here would not vote.
Maximum polling — 54 per cent — was registered in Southcity followed by DLF City (Phase III) with 49.5 per cent and Sushant Lok with 48 per cent.
Three polling booths at the DLF Community Centre that had recorded a meagre eight percent polling during last term, registered a record percentage of 45 per cent. The four polling booths at American Montessori School in DLF Phase II recorded 46 percent polling.
