Polling for 84 urban local bodies (ULB), including seven municipal corporations, began at 8 am on Sunday in Uttarakhand.
Polling for 84 urban local bodies (ULB), including seven municipal corporations, began at 8 am on Sunday in Uttarakhand.
Some 23, 53, 923 voters are going to decide the fate of candidates. The results will be declared on Tuesday, November 20. Until 10.30 am, nearly 13% polling percentage was reported. Chandra Shekhar Bhatt, state election commissioner said, “As it’s a localised election, we expect a high voter turnout.”
During the last assembly election, the voter turnout was nearly 65%. “Candidates campaign door-to-door, and they ensure people’s participation in the exercise. Therefore, a higher turnout is obvious,” Bhatt added.
Of the 84 ULBs, seven are corporations, 39 municipal councils and 38 town panchayats. Across these ULBs, there are 1,064 wards with 1,257 polling stations and 2,664 polling booths. Dehradun Municipal Corporation is the biggest urban local body with 100 wards and a voter count of 6,23, 398.
As the Lok Sabha polls are slated early next year, the ULB poll is an exercise for leaders and political parties to ensure their presence and influence on ground. In the first two hours of polling, several leaders cast their vote in various areas across the state.
In ward 31 of Kashipur Municipal Corporation, the election process for a councillor seat was suspended after election officers found out that the symbols of two candidates in the ballot papers were wrongly printed.
Two independents contesting from the ward, Mohammad Bilal whose symbol is gas cylinder, and Nazmi Ansari, whose symbol is pen, was exchanged in the printed ballot paper.
Polling in the ward continued for the mayoral candidate, but for ward councillor, it was suspended. Officers informed re-poll is likely to be done in the ward on Monday, November 19.
Leader of opposition Indira Hridyesh exercised her ballot in Haldwani Municipal Corporation. Her son Sumit Hridyesh is mayoral candidate from the Congress. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Dehradun mayoral candidate Rajni Rawat, a transgender, also voted in the first hour.
“The people of Dehradun will vote for me,” Rawat said.
Some 23, 53, 923 voters are going to decide the fate of candidates. The results will be declared on Tuesday, November 20. Until 10.30 am, nearly 13% polling percentage was reported. Chandra Shekhar Bhatt, state election commissioner said, “As it’s a localised election, we expect a high voter turnout.”
During the last assembly election, the voter turnout was nearly 65%. “Candidates campaign door-to-door, and they ensure people’s participation in the exercise. Therefore, a higher turnout is obvious,” Bhatt added.
Of the 84 ULBs, seven are corporations, 39 municipal councils and 38 town panchayats. Across these ULBs, there are 1,064 wards with 1,257 polling stations and 2,664 polling booths. Dehradun Municipal Corporation is the biggest urban local body with 100 wards and a voter count of 6,23, 398.
As the Lok Sabha polls are slated early next year, the ULB poll is an exercise for leaders and political parties to ensure their presence and influence on ground. In the first two hours of polling, several leaders cast their vote in various areas across the state.
In ward 31 of Kashipur Municipal Corporation, the election process for a councillor seat was suspended after election officers found out that the symbols of two candidates in the ballot papers were wrongly printed.
Two independents contesting from the ward, Mohammad Bilal whose symbol is gas cylinder, and Nazmi Ansari, whose symbol is pen, was exchanged in the printed ballot paper.
Polling in the ward continued for the mayoral candidate, but for ward councillor, it was suspended. Officers informed re-poll is likely to be done in the ward on Monday, November 19.
Leader of opposition Indira Hridyesh exercised her ballot in Haldwani Municipal Corporation. Her son Sumit Hridyesh is mayoral candidate from the Congress. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Dehradun mayoral candidate Rajni Rawat, a transgender, also voted in the first hour.
“The people of Dehradun will vote for me,” Rawat said.