6.59L Chandigarh voters to decide fate of 19 candidates today

Chandigarh, May 31

More than 6.59 lakh voters will decide the fate of the contestants for the city Lok Sabha seat tomorrow. Polling will be held from 7 am to 6 pm.

A total of 19 candidates are in the fray. The key contenders are BJP’s first-timer Sanjay Tandon and Congress’ two-time MP Manish Tewari, who had earlier represented Anandpur Sahib and Ludhiana constituencies.

The UT has a total of 6,59,805 voters — 3,41,544 males, 3,18,226 females and 35 third gender. This time, 17,977 voters are aged between 18 and 19. They will vote for the first time. As many as 1,28,726 voters are aged between 20 and 29.

Special queues for senior citizens

• Each polling station is equipped with essential facilities, including drinking water, ramps, toilets, shaded areas, wheelchairs and voter assistance booths
• 55 model polling stations have been designated to offer premium facilities such as red-carpet entry and waiting halls
• There will be special queue for elderly, persons with disabilities.
• Five polling stations each will be fully managed by women, persons with disabilities and youth
• Five stations have been set up on popular Chandigarh themes. UT will carry out live webcasting at all 614 polling stations.

Voter break-up

• Total: 6,59,805
• Males: 3,41,544
• Females: 3,18,226
• Third gender: 35
• First-timers aged between 18 and 19: 17,977

A total of 12,514 new voters have been registered since the implementation of the model code of conduct on March 16. When the Election Commission of India announced the General Election, the number of voters was 6,47,291. The Chandigarh Administration has set a target of 75% polling. The voter turnout was 73% in 2019.

As many as 614 polling stations have been set up strategically across the city to enable a smooth polling. Approximately 3,200 polling personnel have been deployed at the polling booths in the city.

In a bid to foster inclusivity, special attention has been given to ensuring representation from various segments of society. Five polling stations each will be fully managed by women, persons with disabilities (PWD) and youth.

There will be special queue for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.

There are 55 Model Polling Booths including five theme based booths. The polling booth at Gymnasium Hall CCA, PEC, Sector 12, is based on the theme of Architectural Heritage of Chandigarh and one at Moti Ram Arya Senior Secondary School, Sector 27-A, on the theme of Rock Garden. The booth at Government Model High School, Sector 31-C, is based on the theme of Indian Air Force Heritage Museum.

Vinay Pratap Singh, District Election Officer-cum-Returning Officer, conducted a comprehensive visit to various model as well as theme-based polling stations today.

Helpline for electorate

Voters may dial the toll-free voter helpline number 1950 for all electoral services and information. Chandigarh CVA App has also been launched which allows voters to check the queue lengths and estimated time in queue at their designated polling booths. In case of medical emergency, people can call 112 for ambulance and the emergency contact numbers 0172-2782457, 2752042, 2752043.