68.8% votes polled in Panipat district

The fate of 42 candidates from the four Assembly segments — Panipat (City), Panipat (Rural), Israna (reserved) and Samalkha —was sealed in the EVMs yesterday. Panipat recorded 68.8 per cent voter turnout at 912 polling booths in the district.

According to record updated on Sunday evening, the final voter turnout was recorded at 68.8 per cent. More enthusiasm among voters was seen in the rural constituencies as compared to the urban segments. Samalkha Assembly segment witnessed 73.33 per cent voter turnout, which is the highest in the district, while Israna segment remained at second position with 70.20 per cent people exercising their right to exercise.

Panipat (City) constituency recorded 62.62 per cent voter turnout, which is the lowest in the district, while Panipat (Rural), which is a semi-urban segment, witnessed 69.34 per cent polling.

As per data, 6,44,172 voters out of 9,36,251 used their right to franchise in the district. Out of total 4,97,826 male voters, 3,94,201 cast their votes. Out of 4,38,808 female voters, 2,94,966 exercised their right to franchise on Saturday in the district.

In Panipat (City), the polling passed off peacefully with no untoward incident being reported in the constituency. There was a commotion at a polling station in school of the city where supporters of the Congress gathered and raised slogans against BJP candidate Pramod Vij. A police team headed by DSP Suresh Saini reached the polling station and brought the situation under control.

In Israna constituency, the BJP and the Congress supporters clashed at a polling booth in Nohra village. As per available information, the incident happened when a person was going to vote along with an elderly woman, but another person opposed them. Both persons attacked each other with a sharp weapon and also broke windowpane of a vehicle.

After getting information, the police and the administration reached the spot to control the situation. The polling was held up at the booth for at least 20 minutes.

Deputy Commissioner-cum-Election Officer Virender Kumar Dahiya said no major untoward incident was reported in the district during the polling except at Nohra village in Israna constituency. The polling was withheld at the village booth for 20 minutes, he said. The police had been instructed to register cases against both persons involved in the clash, the DC said.