COVID-19 pandemic failed to dampen the spirit of electors as more than 50 per cent voter turnout was recorded in all the 10 states where bypolls were held on Tuesday for 54 Assembly constituencies.
The voting percentage is significant as turnout in by-election generally remains low.
Polling, which went with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in place, was peaceful with just stray violence in Madhya Pradesh.
Firing was reported from a couple of places within Sumaoli constituency in Madhya Pradesh.An injured individual was rushed to an infirmary and roughly half-a-dozen persons taken into custody. In Bhind District, some people were confined as a precautionary measure.
Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh conveyed – via social media – his doubts regarding the credibility of Electronic Voting Machines. That thrust was swiftly parried by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan who told Fourth Estate members in Bhopal that the Congress is already apprehending a rout.
In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP candidate for Naugawan Sadat Assembly seat in Amroha, alleged that some people were rigging the polls and a complaint was made to the returning officer and the central observers.
According to Election Commission of India, in Madhya Pradesh, where 28 seats will decide BJP's continuance in power, 66.09 per cent of voting was recorded.
In Uttar Pradesh, 51.21 per cent voters turned out in seven Assembly seats while in Gujarat, 55.84 per cent polling was observed in eight Assembly segments.
Among other states, 51.30 pc voting was observed in Karnataka, 68.08 pc in Odisha, 62.46 in Jharkhand and 83 .69 pc in Nagaland, where polling was conducted on two seats apiece.
In the single seat of Telangana, Haryana and Chhattisgarh, 81.44 pc, 61.57pc and 71.99 pc polling was recorded respectively.
As the polling was conducted at the time of the pandemic, the ECI in its notification, had extended voting time by one hour. The voting figures were tentative, as people were still lined by at several polling booths despite the end of polling at 1800hrs.
Due to COVID-19, not more than 100 persons were allowed inside a polling booth at a time and the Eleventh hour was reserved for the patients suffering from the disease.
SOURCE - UNI
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