E-Paper
Rural body elections: Low voter turnout in Ludhiana
Only 46.6% electorate casts votes; polling peaceful across district barring minor incidents in Dakha, Phullanwal
Ludhiana
The zila parishad and block samiti elections in Ludhiana passed off largely peacefully on Sunday, with only minor incidents reported from the Dakha and Phullanwal areas. Barring these, polling remained calm across the district, though voter turnout was significantly low.
According to official figures, only 46.6 % of the electorate exercised their franchise. Of the total 12,45,275 registered voters, just 5,80,474 cast their votes. Cold weather conditions were cited by officials as one of the main reasons behind the poor turnout.
Polling was conducted from 8 am to 4 pm at 1,639 polling booths spread across the district. A total of 885 candidates were in the fray for 25 zila parishad seats and 235 block samiti seats.
District election officer Himanshu Jain said the electorate comprised 6,62,498 male voters, 5,82,762 female voters and 15 voters in the ‘others’ category. To ensure smooth and transparent conduct of the polls, around 10,000 government employees were deployed on election duty, while 1,639 polling parties were dispatched to their respective stations.
Of the total polling booths, 316 were marked as sensitive and 92 as hyper-sensitive. Jain said elaborate security and administrative arrangements were put in place at all locations to facilitate voters and ensure the safety of polling staff.
He further informed that 1,178 candidates had initially filed nomination papers, of which 32 were rejected during scrutiny. After withdrawals, 890 candidates remained in the race, five of whom were elected unopposed, leaving 885 candidates to contest the elections.
Despite the low voter turnout, district authorities maintained that polling was conducted in a fair, free and orderly manner across Ludhiana.
