Chandigarh/Mumbai: Haryana recorded 76 per cent voter turnout while Maharashtra recorded 64 per cent clocking an all-time high polling. Haryana surpassed previous best of 72.65 per cent in 1967 in the high-stakes battle among top contenders Congress, BJP and INLD amid stray incidents of violence in many parts of the state.
“Haryana registered an all-time highest poll percentage in its history. The final percentage may change once all the figures are compiled,” Haryana Chief Electoral Officer Shrikant Walgad said.
He said polling remained by and large peaceful barring sporadic incidents that left 32 persons, including 10 policemen, injured.
Over 1.63 crore voters including over 87 lakh women were eligible to cast their vote in today’s polls for 90 Assembly seats in the state.
At the close of polling at 6 PM, there were queues of voters inside many polling stations.
Heavy polling was witnessed at places including Fatehabad, Hisar, Jind, Kurukshetra, Mewat, Rohtak, Sirsa and Yamunanagar, Kaithal while in Faridabad, Gurgaon and Panchkula districts, the polling remained moderate.
Polling was also heavy in constituencies from where top guns including Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda (Cong), Haryana Ministers Randeep Singh Surjewala and Kiran Choudhary, INLD’s Abhay Chautala and Dushyant Chautala and HJC’s Kuldeep Bishnoi are in fray. Incidents of violence were reported from various districts including Hisar, Mewat, Sirsa and Jind.
In Hisar district’s Barwala, 30 persons, including 10 policemen, were injured and seven motorcycles set on fire by a mob following a clash between polling agents of two rival parties, during which stones were pelted.
Police said an argument broke out between two polling agents of rival parties in village Niyana after which the situation turned tense.
A case had been registered in this connection, they said.
There were reports of clash taking place between INLD supporters and some rival groups in Punhana in Mewat district. Some people received minor injuries in the incident, SP of Mewat, S S Bhoria said.
Asked to comment on reports that a one-month-old baby died as she fell off from her mother’s lap when there was commotion after the incident in which stones were also pelted between supporters of two groups, Bhoria said the baby was ill. Walgad said the reported death of a child in district Mewat was not poll related. .
Whereas an estimated 64 per cent of Maharashtra’s 8.35 crore voters cast their ballots in a bitterly-fought election that pollsters said will throw up a hung Assembly with BJP emerging as the single-largest party but falling short of a majority in the 288-member House.
“Approximately 64 per cent polling has been recorded by 6 PM. The exact details are being worked out,” sources in the office of the state’s Chief Electoral officer said.
Prominent among those whose electoral fate will be decided when counting takes place on Sunday include former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, his deputy and senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar, state BJP president Devendra Fadnavis, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Eknath Khadse, his counterpart in Legislative Council Vinod Tawde (both BJP), Shiv Sena leader in the outgoing Assembly Subhash Desai and his MNS counterpart Bala Nandgaonkar.(PTI)
Exit polls project……
According to C-voter exit poll telecast on Times Now and Zee News Channels, BJP was projected to get 129 out of 288 seats. Its erstwhile ally Shiv Sena was projected to get 56 seats while Congress was predicted to bag 43, NCP 36, MNS 12 and others 12. For a majority, a party has to get 145 seats.
In the outgoing Assembly, BJP had 47 seats while Shiv Sena had 45. Congress had 82 seats, NCP 62 and MNS had 12.
Exit poll conducted by AC Nielson for ABP Channel gave BJP 127 seats, Shiv Sena 77, Congress 40, NCP 34 and MNS 5.
An exit poll telecast on India TV gave BJP between 124 and 134 seats, Shiv Sena 51-61, Congress 38-48, NCP 31-41 and MNS and others 9-15 each.
Today’s Chanakya exit poll telecast on News24 Channel gave BJP a clear majority with 151 seats while Shiv Sena was given 71. Congress was given 27 while NCP 28. MNS was projected to get 11. The same pollster projected clear majority for BJP in Haryana, giving it 52 of the 90 seats. INLD comes second with 23 seats, Congress 10 and others five.
In the outgoing Assembly, Congress had 40 seats, BJP had only four, INLD 31 and HJC six. Others had nine.
Exit poll by C-Voter projected 37 seats for BJP in Haryana, 28 for INLD, 15 for Congress, six for Haryana Janhit Congress and four for others. AC-Nielson gave 46 to BJP, Congress 10, INLD 29, HJC two and others three.
If the projections come true, BJP will be forming the government in Haryana for the first time ever.
Modi campaigned extensively in the state, addressing 11 rallies.
Counting of votes will take place on 19th October. (PTI)
