New Delhi, October 13
An estimated 55 to 60 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise in the Maharashtra Assembly polls but the percentage of polling varied between 12 and 60 per cent in four by-elections for Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, according to the Election Commission.
Barring the killing of two persons in Mainpuri Parliamentary seats and one in the Atrauli Assembly segment in Uttar Pradesh, the voting in three Lok Sabha and 39 Assembly seats along with the Maharashtra Assembly elections went off by and large peacefully, said the Deputy Election Commissioner A N Jha.
He said 60 per cent polling was recorded in Kapurthala and Garshankar Assembly byelections in Punjab, which was by and large peaceful, and in Jammu and Kashmr, Batamalloo recorded as low as 12 per cent and Pahalgam, from where Chief Minister Mufti Mohd Sayeed is contesting, recorded 19 per cent.
In the other two Assembly constituencies in the state, the polling was estimated at 58 per cent in Basohli and 60 per cent in Akhnoor, he said.
He said barring two minor incidents, the polling in Maharashtra passed off “peacefully”. The voting percentage which was at 45 per cent upto 3.30 p.m. was expected to go around 55 to 60 per cent by the close, he said.
In the Madhepura Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar where RJD candidate Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav is contesting, there was no untoward incident reported, he said.
Jha said the polling party in one polling station colluded with one of the contestants in Mainpuri, the seat vacated by UP Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, and action was being taken to suspend the entire polling party.
The Commission may order repolling in the polling station, he said.
Jha said while an average 45 to 50 per cent voting was recorded in 12 Assembly constituencies in UP, Mainpuri recorded an estimated 60 per cent polling.
While polling in Madhepura Lok Sabha constituency was estimated to be around 50 per cent, the voter turnout in Bidar Parliamentary constituency in Karnataka, was likely to be around 40 per cent, he said.
Giving breakup of voting percentage in various Assembly constituencies in states, Jha said in Andhra Pradesh’s Siddipet the polling was expected to be 55 per cent and Asafnagar 37 per cent.
Moran in Assam (65 per cent), Poinguinim in Goa (75-80 per cent), Gujarat, where bypoll was held for five Assembly constituencies, (55-65 per cent), Guler in Himachal (65 per cent), Konthoujam in Manipur (65 per cent).
Madhya Pradesh — Nohata and Balaghat (40-45 per cent), Nagaland — Tenning, Aongolenden (ST) and Tehok (ST) - (85-92 per cent), Punjab — Kapurthala and Garshankar (60 per cent), Rajasthan — Behor (68 per cent) and Merta (60 per cent), Delhi — Rajouri Garden and Baljeet Nagar (35-36 per cent) and Uttaranchal — Dwarahat (45 per cent).
Jha said repolling, if any, would be held on October 15. The counting of votes will take place on Saturday.
