Heat effect? Pkl poll turnout dips to 53.4%

Panchkula: The city recorded a voter turnout of 53.4% in the Municipal Corporation elections, lower than the 56.4% registered in the previous MC polls in 2020, as the electoral fate of six mayoral and 87 councillor candidates was sealed on Sunday.According to the Haryana State Election Commission report updated late on Sunday evening, around 1.1 lakh voters exercised their franchise out of a total electorate of around 2.07 lakh at 204 polling booths across 20 wards.Polling began at 8am but progressed slowly through the morning hours. By 11am, only 10.07% of the electorate had voted. The pace improved gradually, with turnout reaching 21.3% by 12.30pm and rising to 34.1% by 2.30pm. By 4pm, polling touched 42%, and at 5.30pm, it reached 48.4%. The voter turnout stood at 52% at 6pm and was later updated to 53.4%.Counting at a few polling booths was still underway at the time of going to press, with officials saying minor variations in the final percentage were possible by midnight or early Monday morning.Residents cited extreme heat and general lack of interest in civic elections as key reasons for the comparatively low voter turnout.A clear divide in polling patterns was visible across different areas of the city. Colonies and villages witnessed strong participation, while most sectors reported a poor turnout.Despite the overall turnout of 53.3%, several polling booths in villages recorded exceptionally high voting percentages, ranging from over 80% to above 90%.Govt Girls School in Toka village recorded a turnout of 90.05%, while Govt Primary School in Jaswantgarh village registered 90.53% voting.Govt Senior Secondary School, Khatauli (west part), recorded 86% turnout, while its east wing saw 83.69%. Govt Primary School, Alipur, reported 85.56% turnout, Govt Primary School, Sukhdarshanpur, 82.31%, Govt Middle School, Khangesara, 81.90%, and Govt Senior Secondary School, Billa (west part), 88.91%.After villages, colony areas registered the second-highest voter turnout. Govt Middle School, Chandi Kotla (east part), recorded 75.52% polling, while the west part of the same school saw 69.63%. Govt High School, Sector 17 (south part), recorded 58.81%, and Govt Primary School, Sector 17 (south part), 57.99%.These polling booths largely cater to residents of Indira Colony, Rajiv Colony and Budanpur areas, apart from parts of Sectors 16 and 17, where voter participation remained comparatively high.In contrast, polling in most sectors again disappointed. Government Primary School, MDC Sector 4 (west part), recorded only 32.43% turnout. Shishu Niketan Higher Secondary School, MDC Sector 5 (west part), saw 40.04% voting, while Satluj Public School, Sector 2 (east part), recorded 33.15%.Govt Senior Secondary School, Sector 6 (west part), recorded 39.51%, while its Sector 7 (east part) counterpart saw 38.67%. DAV Higher Secondary School, Sector 8 (north-west part), recorded 38.71% turnout.Some of the lowest voting percentages were reported from Sector 14. Meanwhile, the Haryana State Election Commission's voter awareness message encouraging citizens to exercise their franchise appeared to have limited impact, as turnout remained subdued across large parts of the city. EOm. MSID:: 130996804 413 |