With 104 wards up for grabs in South MCD, lack of voters who could have tipped the balance in favour of a certain party offset political calculations, as the harsh weather combined with a lack of interest in MCD polls saw a dismal turnout.
Voters across South Delhi strategically chose to cast their votes under a cloudy sky; but the blistering heat and the summer loo buffeting them sent them back to the confines of their respective homes.
Urban wards of Dwarka A, B and C, all reserved for woman candidates, were deserted when began. Many residents instead decided to go for morning jogs. "I plan to cast my vote around 4 pm, but if the weather stays like this, I will only be able to do it at 10," said Jagdish Pandey, an engineer from Dwarka sector-10.
Eventually, voters started streaming in, many with no specific issues in mind. During his interaction with voters, this reported found that eight out of ten did not vote for any specific issue.
A surprising 9 out of 10 voters did not know the names of candidates, and instead chose to turn the polls into a referendum on Modi and Kejriwal. "There are no issues as such. My family is voting for Modi," said Mathrubhoom, a government servant.
In the three wards from Dwarka, Hauz Khas, Green Park, Saket voter turnout was a dismal 5 percent till 12 pm.
Complicating matters further, the State Election Commission's website reportedly went down for two hours from 9 am. Many voters who had come to cast their votes did not find their names in the list and had to get their names from the site, which could no longer be accessed. This is when the help desk from the Aam Aadmi Party, BJP and Independent candidates came to the rescue. This reporter could not find any Congress help desk in the Dwarka ward.
"The site has been down for two hours. The SEC should have done this in a systematic order, but instead we have this mess" said Priyank, a BJP volunteer.
Worried voters found help from the help desk and also at times advice on who to vote for. "There is only one candidate and her name is Anuradha from AAP," said AAP volunteer to a voter.
Voter turnout peaked to 35-40 percent in wards of Hauz Khas, Malviya Nagar and Greater Kailash, only to fall short of a satisfactory mark. "My boss, who owns several houses in South Delhi, did not vote. He told me that no party will deliver. Look at his privilege, my name did not even figure in the list," said Lalit, a driver.