In colonies, residents brave long queues to vote with gusto

Panchkula: While most polling booths in the sectors saw thin crowds, those in rural and colony areas witnessed heavy turnout. Long queues were seen at a polling booth in Sector 17, where residents of Rajiv and Indira colonies cast their votes. At a polling booth in ward 8, some voters had to wait for nearly two hours.Jaiveer Singh of Indira Colony said, "I came in the morning and left after seeing the crowd. Now there is a rush again. I have been waiting for about two hours in the hot weather."Inderjeet from Budhanpur added, "I have been standing in the sun for about an hour and a half. I have no choice but to sweat it out."Om Prakash of Rajiv Colony was seen wearing a helmet while standing in the queue. "It is so hot that I thought wearing my bike helmet might give me some relief. I have been standing here for two hours," he said.Ruckus was reported outside a polling booth in Sector 17 when a scooter rider was stopped from entering the polling booth area. This led to arguments between a group of people and the police, following which additional police force was called to bring the situation under control. The matter was later resolved.Prominent personalities who cast their votes included former Army chief Gen V P Malik, outgoing mayor Kulbhushan Goyal and MLA Chandermohan, along with their family members, among others.After voting, BJP mayoral candidate Sham Lal Bansal said, "Having visited all wards today, I can say there is immense support for the BJP — in colonies, villages and sectors. Following West Bengal, there is enthusiasm in Panchkula. We will win by the highest margin in Haryana, thanks to the development push of chief minister Nayab Singh Saini and Prime Minister Narendra Modi."Congress mayoral candidate Sudha Bhardwaj cast her vote at a government school in Sector 6 along with her husband. Before entering the polling booth, she offered online prayers at the Baglamukhi temple in Himachal Pradesh through her mobile phone."I witnessed enthusiasm among people in all wards, who are ready for change as no work was done in the last five years," she said.Former Vidhan Sabha speaker Gian Chand Gupta, whose grandson Parth Gupta is the youngest candidate in the fray, also voted. He said a BJP wave that began in West Bengal had reached Panchkula. "In this one-sided contest, the BJP will not only win a two-thirds majority but will also have a mayor," he claimed.MSID:: 130994609 413 |