1. Voter turnout in Haryana Lok Sabha elections
2. Decrease in voter participation in Haryana elections.
Accident – Death – Obituary News : Haryana witnessed a voter turnout of approximately 65% during the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, which took place on Saturday. This figure is slightly lower than the 70% turnout recorded during the 2019 polls. The Chief Electoral Officer of Haryana, Anurag Agarwal, confirmed that the elections for the state’s 10 Lok Sabha seats and the Karnal assembly seat proceeded smoothly without any major incidents.
As of 8 pm, Sirsa recorded the highest turnout at 69%, where BJP’s Ashok Tanwar is contesting against former Union Minister Kumari Selja of the Congress. Ambala followed closely with a turnout of 66.9%, where BJP’s Banto Kataria is in a direct contest with Congress legislator Varun Chaudhary. Kurukshetra recorded a turnout of 66.2%, while Hisar saw a turnout of 64.6%. Other notable turnouts include Sonipat at 62.2%, Bhiwani-Mahendragarh at 65.2%, Gurgaon at 60.6%, Karnal at 63.2%, and Rohtak at 64.5%.
Faridabad reported the lowest voter turnout at 59.7%, with Union Minister of State and BJP candidate Krishan Pal Gurjar facing off against Congress’s Mahender Pratap. Additionally, polling was conducted for the Karnal assembly by-election, where Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini is contesting as the BJP candidate. The turnout for the assembly by-poll stood at 57.3% as of 7 pm.
Agarwal provided further details, stating that a total of 5,470 polling stations were set up in urban areas and 14,342 polling stations in rural areas for the election. Despite the smooth conduct of the polls, there were a few incidents reported during the voting process.
Tragically, a 51-year-old clerk from Sonepat’s Sersa Jati village, identified as Virender, passed away due to a cardiac arrest while on election duty. In Rohtak, there were complaints from booth workers of the Congress party regarding unauthorized entry by BJP leader Manish Grover at a polling booth. However, no untoward incidents were reported, and Rohtak’s Deputy Commissioner Ajay Kumar was unavailable for comment on the matter.
In another incident, a 94-year-old man named Mahabir from Jai Dev Ki Dhani, Hisar, reported that someone had cast his vote on his behalf using a ballot paper. He also mentioned that his deceased wife’s vote had been similarly misrepresented. Moreover, at Jassia village in Rohtak, a police officer was handed over to the authorities after allegedly soliciting the mobile number of a female voter.
To ensure the security of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines, a total of 91 strong rooms have been set up. The Election Commission has mandated that the returning officer visit the strong room three times and that the entire process of storing the EVMs and VVPAT machines be video-graphed for transparency.
Several prominent leaders, including former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, his son Deepender Hooda, Janta Jannayak Party chief Ajay Chautala, and Indian National Lok Dal candidate Abhay Chautala, exercised their right to vote during the elections. Bhupinder Hooda expressed confidence in the Congress party’s prospects, stating that issues concerning farmers, youth, labourers, and government employees were major concerns under the current BJP government.
JJP chief Ajay Chautala echoed similar sentiments, highlighting the prevailing anti-incumbency against the ruling government. He predicted that the BJP would not perform well in Haryana this time due to public dissatisfaction. As the election results are awaited, the people of Haryana eagerly anticipate the outcome of this crucial electoral exercise..
– voter turnout in Haryana
– Haryana election turnout.
