75% voting in Haridwar dist; 80.09% highest in Khanpur
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 30
In the third Assembly elections of the state, Haridwar district saw a whopping 75.04 per cent voting. The Khanpur Assembly segment witnessed the highest poll percentage with 80.09 per cent of the total 1,11,103 votes being cast.

Following closely is the holy Assembly segment of Piran Kaliyar that registered 80 per cent of voter turnout.

Haridwar rural with 79.07 per cent out of the total of 96,337 voters making the total turnout of the whole 11 Assembly segments reach 75.04 per cent.

Roorkee (61.16) and Haridwar city (67.03) registered the lowest turn out among the Assembly segments.

Meanwhile border of the district had been sealed since yesterday evening and intense checking was carried out to ensure anti-social elements don’t create nuisance today.

Further the Uttar Pradesh Police on the bordering areas also carried out intense vigil as part of the understanding between two states police officials that was arrived at a meeting last week.

At 18 inter-state barriers and 11 inter-district barriers, apart from the Uttarakhand Police, the deployment of paramilitary forces was also made.

Temporary barriers were also erected at the Delhi-Haridwar-Dehradun national highway and at other road stretches in the rural areas which led to nearby districts of western Uttar Pradesh.

Fifteen special patrolling teams led by SP City Dr Yogendra Singh Rawat, CO Shah Jahan Khan, CO Ajay Singh and other ranked officers visited sensitive polling stations in the whole district to make sure that no violence or disturbance hampered the polling process.

At 42 critical booths, one station in charge, a half section paramilitary unit, one constable, two Home Guard jawans and two PRD (Prantiya Rakshak Dal) guards were posted. While at 157 extra sensitive booths, a similar number of security personnel were deployed with the patrolling team doing special rounds throughout the day at these polling venues. In addition to this, 200 personnel of reserve police force were kept as backup in all 18 zones, including 3 super zones.

Nodal Security Officer Dr Kiran Lal Shaw informed TNS that the polling was held peacefully with no untoward incident reported from any polling stations.

Big shots line up early before booths
Sandeep Rawat
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, January 30
Contesting candidates and VIPs preferred to cast their votes in the morning itself. Cabinet Minister Madan Kaushik, Lakshar legislator Kunwar Pranav Singh, BSP leader Mohammed Shahzad and yoga guru Ramdev reached their respective polling stations early in the morning.

Showing the ink mark on his finger after casting vote at the Kankhal Dadubagh polling station, Ramdev, who was accompanied by Acharya Balkrishan, said: “If we decide to vote against the corrupt, the menace of corruption will soon eradicate.”

Acharya Balkrishan said: “Every vote is important. And if we will vote for a right candidate then certainly the entire system can be changed as ultimately it’s the politicians whom we select make laws for us.”

Two-time legislator Madan Kaushik, who cast his vote at 8:10 am, expressed hope that people would vote for him for the development works carried out by him.

Mohammed Shahzad, after casting his vote at the Bahadrabad polling station, urged voters to come out in a large number to be part of this constitutional process.

Former legislator and Independent candidate Ambrish Kumar cast his vote at Jwalapur in the morning itself and then visited all polling stations falling in his Assembly segment, Ranipur-BHEL.

Satpal Brahamchari, Tripta Sharma, Rana Ranbeer Singh, Swami Yatishwaranand, Aadesh Chauhan,Vishal Chauhan, Sesh Raj Saini, Sarita Purohit and Qazi Nizamuddin also cast their votes as soon as the polling process started.

60 pc voters keep date with democracy in Kumaon
Rajeev Khanna

Nainital, January 30
Displaying awareness with regards to choosing the next government in the state, the people of Kumaon came out in large numbers to exercise their right to franchise on Monday.

The polling started on a slow note, particularly in the hill areas of the region. The main reason for the slow start to the process of polling was the prevailing cold conditions.

The weather god had decided to smile upon the region on the day of the polling as bright sunshine was recorded all over. The percentage of polling went up as the day progressed.

It was around noon that the polling picked up when the women were free from their household chores and even the elderly came out in large numbers to polling booths. Long queues could be seen outside several polling booths.

The attempt by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to ensure a good voter turnout succeeded to a large extent as all fears of voters not coming out on account of the bad weather conditions were dispelled and in most of the constituencies the polling percentage had crossed the 60 per cent mark.

Kumaon went to the polls on the main issue of development. In the absence of political parties offering any concrete programme over the next five years and there being no wave as such that was visible during the campaign, the people had only development-related issues on their mind.

The issue of employment, emigration of the youth from the hill areas to the plains, establishment of centres of higher education, the deplorable condition of the health, primary education and road connectivity were all on the mind of the voters since the campaign for the poll had started.

In most of the constituencies in the hill areas, it was a direct fight between the two main parties, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In the Terai and Bhabar areas, other parties like the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party too were in the fray as they have a considerable support base in these areas. In fact, the BSP had even been a serious contender in a couple of seats in the hill areas like Bhimtal and Almora where it is desperately trying to find a foothold.

The rebels are expected to have a bearing in the outcome on several seats of the region. The manner in which ticket had been distributed by the two main parties had led to a large number of rebels filing their nominations.

With the constituencies being small, the rebels having a good reputation among the electorate are expected to play spoilsports on several seats and in some cases, these rebels are expected to emerge victorious also.

Observers say that the campaign for the poll had been negative in nature as the parties and their candidates had been more involved in criticising their rivals instead of offering something concrete to the voters.

With the electronic voting machines having been sealed, the fate of the candidates stand locked till March 6 when the results would be declared.

61 pc polling in Almora constituency
Many villages boycott poll
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, January 30
Amid poll boycott at five booths in the Almora constituency, an overall 61 per cent polling has been witnessed today. The constituency comprises Pithoragarh, Bageshwar and Almora districts.

A large number of youths turned up to practice their right to vote.

However, none of the 335 voters from Namik village, which is situated in the higher reaches of Dharchula, cast the vote till afternoon. “We have already called for a boycott as politicians visit our village only during the elections,” said Tulsi Devi, gram pradhan of the village.

The 293 voters of Silingia polling booth in the Pithoragarh Assembly seat also did not vote. Not even a single vote has been cast there today. “We have boycotted the polls, as the respective governments have failed to give us required 18 km motor road from Barabe town to our village, which has been declared an Ambedkar village,” said Fakir Ram, gram pradhan of Silingia village.

In Almora district, where 60 per cent polling has been witnessed in almost all 6 Assembly seats, all 205 voters of Mangchaura near Dwarahat, boycotted the polling while protesting against the non-fulfilment of the commitment made by politicians of linking their village with a motor road.

“All 392 voters boycotted the polls as the village is still 8 km far from a motor road and the villagers are compelled to travel for essentials up to 10 to 15 km,” said Rajendra Singh, zila panchayat member.

According to the election officials, the poll percentage varied from Assembly to Assembly. Some areas like the town area of the Pithoragarh Assembly seat witnessed more than 75 per cent polling.

In the Kapkot seat of Bageshwar, four villages boycotted the polls, protesting against the shortage of essential facilities in their village, like water, road and electricity. The villagers of Daknar, Majbe, Ratmali and Malugarha in Bageshwat district boycotted the elections.

The VIP voters in the district, BJP Chief Bishen Singh Chufal, Cabinet Minister Prakash Pant and BJP Rajya sabha member and former Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari cast their vote early in the morning when the process began. “I have to visit our party offices at Haldwani and Dehradun, therefore, I cast my vote early,” said Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, a former Chief Minister of the state.

According to the reports received by 4 pm, the Dididat Assembly witnessed highest 58 per cent polling, Pithoragarh 50 per cent, Dharchula 46 per cent and Gangolihat 52 per cent polling.

Baring some minor incidents of squabble, the polling remained peaceful in Pithoragarh, Almora, Bageshwar and Champawat districts.

Community that votes for the first time
Jotirmay Thapliyal/TNS

Dehradun, January 30
It was a time to rejoice for nomadic Gariya Lohar community members in the state, as they practiced their adult franchise for the first time in the state Assembly elections.

With the strength of 20,000 to 25,000 in Uttarakhand, the Gariya Lohar community members owe their origin to Rajasthan where during medieval period they accompanied Rajput warrior Maharana Pratap in his war against Mughals. However, during the East India Company days, followed by Independence, community members had found themselves in a lurch with regard to their voting rights.

Rudraksh, an NGO, which has been working with the Gariya Lohar community in the state for almost a decade now, has been instrumental in getting voter ID cards for them. The NGO feels that the community is yet to get justice in the state. Anuradha Singh, Founder President of the NGO, said the community members were concentrated in districts of Dehradun and Haridwar and they did not practice their right to vote as they did not have voting cards. It was only after long-drawn efforts that 25 Gariya Lohar community members exercised their voting rights.

All the 25 members, who exercised their franchise in the Dharampur Assembly constituency in Dehradun today, were an elated lot.

87-year-old Ganga Devi said it was a matter of pride for her that she was voting for the first time for the state Assembly elections. Similarly, another voter Hukum Singh said it was a satisfaction that he too would now be able to contribute towards electoral politics of the state.

It was not easy to get voter ID cards for the community and so far only 25 community members have been able to get them in the state. Anuradha said preparations for voter ID cards for 195 more community members was also in the pipeline. “We are hopeful that we would be able to exercise the right in the next elections,” she pointed out.

The youth go for honest politicians
Sandeep Rawat/TNS

Haridwar, January 30
Maiden voting is a memorable experience for everyone, but today’s youth feels that casting your vote for the right candidate is imperative otherwise the very concept of democratic voting right gets diluted.

In today’s Assembly election polling, a majority of youngsters in Haridwar district seemed quite impressed with Gandhian Anna Hazare’s anti-graft movement.

The first priority the Gen-X counted was honest and a corruption-free image. They cast their votes accordingly.

Like Swati Gupta, student of SMJN, said that despite her parents urging her to cast vote for a specific candidate, she chose to vote otherwise, for a honest candidate instead.

Pointing out that Anna Hazare’s movement needed to be further given a boost by voting for honest politicians,Tanjeem Bano, IInd year arts student at Jwalapur GIC polling centre, said that if everyone follows Anna’s call, then the corrupt breed of politicians will not grow as they will be ignored at the very stage of electoral polling itself. She added that belonging to a minority community, there were pressures on her to vote for a specific candidate, but she did not do so. “I voted for a candidate of my choice who was honest. Today I have a sense of pride of being an honest-voter-cum citizen,” she added.Such was the craze among the youth that twin sisters Aditi and Abhilasha, both MBA students, came from Dehradun today only to cast their votes in their hometown Haridwar at Chinmay Degree College polling centre.

Both said that corruption was the main parametre on which they chose their candidates, adding that in every election onwards, their criteria of voting will mainly be depending on this aspect.

Similarly, Shraddha Sharma, Kanika Prasad, Nandita and Manish of Shivalik Nagar said that post-Anna’s anti- graft movement and Swami Ramdev’s ‘satyagraha,’ definitely a change in the mindset of people is visible and youth has to take their mission forward.

Saints’ votes will play a crucial role in Haridwar
Sandeep Rawat
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, January 30
With voting awareness and realisation of value of a single vote, today women, particularly from the Muslim community, came in large numbers to cast their votes.

Similarly, the saint community, which holds a large influence on the voters in Haridwar (city) Assembly segment, also came out in large numbers to cast their votes.

Such was the turnout in minority-dominated areas of Jwalapur, Mangalore, Khanpur, Piran Kaliyar, Bhagwanpur, Jhabreda that at times at polling stations it seemed women outnumbered their male counterparts.

Attired mostly in traditional ‘burqas,’ Muslim women presented a different face of Indian democracy wherein people still refrain from casting their votes. But here in Haridwar district Muslim women polled in large numbers, and a large number of women whom TNS spoke with termed the basic facilities such as health and education as the main issues for electing candidates.

Zahira Bano, a Jwalapur resident, told TNS that for the past few elections, be it village, panchayat or parliamentary, she refrained from voting but due to awareness drive generated by local religious clerics, she along with many other women realised the contribution they can make by casting votes.

Similarly, saints, too, turned in large numbers to exercise their franchise.

Notably, with Haridwar city Assembly segment having a saint candidate in Satpal Brahamchari, there was an added enthusiasm among the ascetics. With voter identity cards in their hands, the saints also presented a diverse picture of Indian democracy. At Bhooptwala, Saptsarovar, Doodhadhari chowk, Har-Ki-Pauri, Upper bazaar, Shiv Moorti, Mayapur, Devpura polling station areas, saints lined up from morning itself to cast their votes.

Though with the Congress fielding saint Satpal Brahamchari and with many saints having a pro BJP-RSS likeness, it would be quite interesting to see the poll outcome as saints’ votes will play a crucial role in deciding the fate of the candidates in Haridwar seat.

Man ‘sets wife ablaze’ for voting against his wish
Rajeev Khanna

Nainital, January 30
Unable to accept the fact that his wife had cast her vote in favour of a candidate other than whom he had dictated, a man allegedly torched his wife in the Lal Kuan area of Nainital district today.

The police, however, said the woman tried to immolate herself after a dispute regarding the casting of her vote.

The victim has sustained 90 per cent burns. According to sources, Rais, alias Guddu, who runs a timber business in Lal Kuan had come home drunk and had asked his wife, Gulbaksh Rani, to cast her vote in favour of a particular candidate. However, when his wife told him that she had voted for a candidate, Rais allegedly thrashed her with a stick at his home in the Ambedkar Nagar locality of the town. Not content with having meted out a sound thrashing to the woman, he allegedly doused her with kerosene and torched her.

On the other hand, the police maintained that the dispute arose between the couple when the woman allegedly refused to accompany her husband to a polling booth and said she would rather accompany her mother-in-law. This made him allegedly thrash her with the stick and after that he went off to sleep. The police, however, said while he was asleep, the woman allegedly doused herself with kerosene and torched herself.

Sidelights
Sunny day proves weather forecast wrong

Those who had forecast bad weather conditions on the polling day on Monday were proved wrong as a bright sunny day facilitated a good voter turnout in the hill areas of Kumaon. It has become a norm of sorts in the region that people who are not experts in the field of climatology or meteorology have been giving weather forecasts. To make matters worse, some mediapersons have been giving publicity to such people, including geologists and agriculture scientists, who have been giving weather forecasts devoid of any scientific basis. The weather gods had decided to prove them wrong on the day of political reckoning.

Women, youth most excited

Women and youth were the most excited about exercising their right to franchise. It was evident as the polling percentage picked up when women turned out in a large number after they were through with their household chores. Groups of women could be seen moving to polling stations while talking excitedly about the electoral process.

High polling in rural areas

A clear urban-rural divide was visible in the voting pattern, particularly in the hill areas of the Kumaon region. The polling percentage was high in the rural areas, while it was low in the urban areas. The voting was also more in the areas where the deprived and poor sections resided in towns.

Rural voters ‘politically mature’

Despite being cynical towards the political class, voters in the rural areas showed political maturity in casting vote and understanding of their democratic rights. A group of aged men told The Tribune at Naukuchiyatal, “One must vote. After all how many countries in the world offer their citizens this right. It is our right and our weapon to choose and replace governments.”

Brides not allowed to cast vote

A large number of marriages were solemnised on Monday and this had a bearing on polling too. At several places, those participating in marriage functions made it a point to cast vote first. In some cases even bridegrooms stopped to cast vote while on their way to the brides’ places for the solemnisation of marriages. But gender disparity came to light here too as brides were not allowed to go out of their homes to cast vote as henna had been put on their feet. After this traditional ritual the girls could go out of their parents’ homes only in a ‘doli’ along with husbands.

15 cases of EVM malfunctioning

There were 15 instances of malfunctioning of electronic voting machines (EVM), which were later rectified. Most of these cases were reported from Udham Singh Nagar, especially Bazpur, from where state Congress president Yashpal Arya was in the fray.

Commuters inconvenienced

As even private vehicles were not allowed to move on roads in the areas where polling was in progress, the people wanting to reach various destinations, particularly in hill areas, were put to a lot of inconvenience. A large number of them could be seen walking. The passengers were the most harassed as the Kumaon Motor Operators Union had suspended its operations a day before after most of the buses had been requisitioned for poll duty.

Hridayesh’s husband casts vote

Congress candidate from Haldwani Indira Hridayesh was a happy lot as her husband flew in from Delhi to cast vote. Eyewitnesses say Hridayesh Kumar reached Haldwani in a helicopter to support his wife on the D-day. He is learnt to have been undergoing medical treatment in Delhi and has been absent during his wife’s poll campaign.

Vehicle ferrying voters impounded

The District Electoral Officer (DEO), Nainital, Nidhi Mani Tripathi, undertook a tour of four Assembly constituencies of the district. While returning to the election office in Haldwani, she came across a vehicle ferrying a large number of voters to a polling booth in Kaladhungi. She immediately ordered the seizure of the vehicle and the voters were asked to proceed to the booth on foot.

(Compiled by Rajeev Khanna)