Polling for seven urban local bodies in Mohali district passed off peacefully with a 55.54 per cent turnout on Tuesday.
As many as 2,63,031 votes, of the total 4,80,782, were cast at 498 booths in 166 wards of the district, sealing the fate of 695 candidates in the fray. The counting of votes will be held on May 29.
As compared to 60.08% polling in the 2021 MC elections, there was a sizable dip in the voting percentage this time. There was no change in voting pattern with Banur recording the highest and Zirakpur logging the lowest turnout. Banur (72.86%), Lalru (69.34%), Kurali (64.27%), Nayagaon (58.23%) witnessed a huge turnout, while urban voters did not show much enthusiasm despite suffering from perennial civic woes.
The turnout was on expected lines as rural area voters defied intense heat to cast their vote. The elderly and women turned up at polling booths early in the morning.
Urban areas also saw a trickle of voters in the morning and evening hours, but after that, it was for the party supporters to keep the pot boiling with arguments and counter-arguments. The police were on their toes pacifying the supporters.
Scuffles were reported at some places, but in the end, the polling passed off peacefully. The voting for the Mohali Municipal Corporation saw a clear divide with residents of Ward No. 1 to 26 (predominantly urban electorate) choosing to stay indoors, while those of Ward No. 26 to 50 turning out in large numbers. Banur, Lalru and Kurali topped voting percentage in the district.
As usual, Zirakpur residents did not show much enthusiasm in polling even though they kept complaining of poor civic amenities throughout the year.
In Dera Bassi, Ward No. 14 and 15 remained the centre of attraction. In Ward No. 15, former president of the Municipal Council Ashu Upneja and her husband Naresh Upneja, from Ward No.14, are in the fray. Opposite them are BJP leader Mukesh Gandhi and his wife Jyoti Gandhi. The designated strongrooms and counting centres in the district include the Office of Market Committee, Banur; Community Hall at the Office of Municipal Council, Kurali; Century Public School, Karoran (Nayagaon), Community Centre, Chhatt; Government College, Dera Bassi; Government Senior Secondary School, Lalru; Community Centre in Phase 7, SAS Nagar; and Community Centre in Sector 69.
‘Voter secrecy violated’
Former Deputy Mayor of Mohali MC Kuljit Singh Bedi raised questions over the voting process in Ward No. 10, alleging that the secrecy of voters was being violated during the elections. He claimed that the same serial numbers were being written on ballot papers and registers, making it possible to find for whom people voted for. “The ballot paper issued to voters, the counterfoil and the register all carry the same serial number, which compromises the confidentiality of the vote. If the counterfoil is opened, the identity of the voter and details of their vote can easily be traced,” he claimed
