Delhi runs, but loses race
5 Dec 2013 11:48 PM GMT
Delhi for the first time managed a good 66 per cent voter turnout but it was far behind Madhya Pradesh which came fourth with over 70 per cent record polling. However, the city improved its tally of 57.6 per cent in 2008. ‘We are compiling the final figure but it will not touch 70 per cent,’ said Ankur Garg, nodal officer to the office of Delhi chief electoral officer.
‘A record 66 per cent, around 1.2 crore voters, exercised their franchise on Wednesday in the Delhi assembly election,’ informed Vijay Dev, chief electoral officer Delhi Election Commission, adding that the polling was on even after 5 pm as all the voters who were in queue by 5 pm will be given opportunity to cast their votes. ‘The polling was peaceful and there were no reports of any untoward incident, added Dev.
Nearly 70,000 people were standing in queues outside the polling booths around 6 pm, Dev added.
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Among the five states which went to elections, Mizoram ranked first by recording over 81 per cent turnout and Chhattisgarh was the runner-up with 74 per cent. The voter turnout in the year 2003 and 2008 was 53.4 and 57.6 per cent, respectively.
‘There were reports of malfunctioning of electronic voting machines (EVM) in some parts of the city but they were rectified,’ election officials said. The EVM at polling booth in Aurangzeb Lane, where Rahul Gandhi cast his vote, malfunctioned when polling began.
Election Commission officials said that around 38 per cent women voters and 32 per cent men hadcast their ballot till 1 pm. A total of 1.19 crore electorates, including over 4.05 lakh first-time voters, are likely to exercise their franchise.
The Congress is facing a stiff fight from its traditional rival the BJP while Aam Aadmi Party’s entry into the electoral fray has made the contest an interesting one. Facing the toughest battle of her political career, Sheila Dikshit said she has kept her ‘fingers crossed’ on the outcome of the election.
‘A record 66 per cent, around 1.2 crore voters, exercised their franchise on Wednesday in the Delhi assembly election,’ informed Vijay Dev, chief electoral officer Delhi Election Commission, adding that the polling was on even after 5 pm as all the voters who were in queue by 5 pm will be given opportunity to cast their votes. ‘The polling was peaceful and there were no reports of any untoward incident, added Dev.
Nearly 70,000 people were standing in queues outside the polling booths around 6 pm, Dev added.
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Among the five states which went to elections, Mizoram ranked first by recording over 81 per cent turnout and Chhattisgarh was the runner-up with 74 per cent. The voter turnout in the year 2003 and 2008 was 53.4 and 57.6 per cent, respectively.
‘There were reports of malfunctioning of electronic voting machines (EVM) in some parts of the city but they were rectified,’ election officials said. The EVM at polling booth in Aurangzeb Lane, where Rahul Gandhi cast his vote, malfunctioned when polling began.
Election Commission officials said that around 38 per cent women voters and 32 per cent men hadcast their ballot till 1 pm. A total of 1.19 crore electorates, including over 4.05 lakh first-time voters, are likely to exercise their franchise.
The Congress is facing a stiff fight from its traditional rival the BJP while Aam Aadmi Party’s entry into the electoral fray has made the contest an interesting one. Facing the toughest battle of her political career, Sheila Dikshit said she has kept her ‘fingers crossed’ on the outcome of the election.
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