Voters eager to vote in Solan

Ambika Sharma

Solan, June 1

Voter turnout was gradually picking pace in Solan district where 33.56 per cent voting had been registered till 11 am on Saturday.

It began on a brisk note with merely 15.18 per cent voters having turned up in the first two hours till 9 am.

Maximum turnout of 36.66 per cent was registered in Kasauli followed by 33.81 per cent in Doon, 33.69 in Solan, 33.36 in Arki and the lowest voting of 32.07 was seen in Nalagarh assembly segment in Solan district by 11 am.

Large number of first time voters besides the elderly and people with disabilities were among the early voters.

Women had queued up outside various polling booths in villages like Sultanpur which is the home turf of Congress Shimla Lok Sabha candidate Vinod Sultanpuri.

Large number of women voters were also seen enthusiastically turning up in Doon and Nalagarh assembly segments in the sweltering heat of nearly 49°C to cast their votes.

Peaceful polling was registered till this afternoon with no untoward incident of snag in the EVMs having been reported.

Deputy Commissioner Manmohan Sharma was seen motivating voters to exercise their right to franchise.

87-year-old Seeta Devi cast her vote at Patta in Kasauli assembly segment while 81-year-old Ram Chand and 77-year-old Parvati Devi cast their votes in Basheel village.

Puran Chand Awasthy, a 96-year-old elderly man was the oldest voter to vote at Mangal polling booth in Arki.

Laxit Bhardwaj and his grandmother Kanta Bhardwaj were the first voters to turn up at Arki.

A green polling booth has been set up at YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni where voters were given flower sticks.

Chief Parliamentary Secretaries Ramkumar Chaudhary and Sanjay Awasthi cast their votes with their families at Haripur Sandholi in Doon and Kander in Arki, respectively.

A women-operated polling booth at ward number six in Solan received good response of voters.