April 5, 2007
43 % Voting in Delhi Poll,
Re-polling in 10 Booths
New Delhi
About 43 percent of the 9.9 million voters in the Indian capital
voted Thursday to pick a new civic body in a contest of prestige
between the ruling Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
with officials ordering re-polling Friday in 10 booths.
Officials said 43 percent of the electorate had cast their ballots
to elect a new 272-member Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in a
generally peaceful voting.
Stray incidents of trouble were reported from over a dozen places,
forcing police and paramilitary forces to intervene.
"The polling was largely peaceful. Taking note of the stray
incidents of violence, we have ordered re-polling in 10 booths
across four wards Friday. The polling in these stations would take
place between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.," said state chief election
commissioner S.P. Marwah.
Re-polling would be conducted in selected booths of ward numbers 33,
34, 70 and 122. Of the 10 booths, in Vikas Nagar (Ward 122)
re-polling would be conducted in five stations - 14,14A, 15, 16 and
17.
In the 14 and 14A booths, electronic voting machines (EVMs)
developed snags in the morning and later angry citizens smashed four
machines including two faulty ones.
Marwah did not spell out the reason for what he termed as low
turnout, much like the 45 percent of 2002.
"As the wards' size were shortened, we were hoping more polling this
time. We are surprised with the less turnout," he told reporters.
Although the election is only for MCD, the outcome of which will
have no bearing on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Congress-led
coalition, it will nevertheless be seen as a sign of public
discontent if the Congress gets voted out in the nation's capital.
Reports said that many from the Gujarati-speaking community in the
capital, numbering an estimated 25,000, boycotted the polls.
There were over a dozen incidents of violence, police said.
The situation turned tense after voters in Madanpur Khadar, on the
fringes of south Delhi, clashed with police alleging that bogus
voting was on. Security forces used batons to disperse mobs after
some tried to halt the polling.
At least 16 incidents of violence were reported as police arrested
65 people including an independent candidate and detained over 500.
According to police, Ramesh Pandit, an independent candidate from
Krishna Nagar in east Delhi, was arrested for allegedly slapping a
returning officer. He was released on bail later.
Police said teargas was used in Jahangir Puri, a sensitive locality
in northwest Delhi, to disperse a mob.
Stray violence including group clashes were reported from Narela and
Bawana in northwest Delhi, Badarpur in south Delhi, Maujpur, and
Seelampur in east Delhi and Hasthsal in west Delhi.
In some places, voters pelted the police with stones after
electronic voting machines developed snags. In Kotla Mubarakpur in
south Delhi, a large number of people demanded extended polling
hours to make up for faulty voting machines.
In all, the electronic voting machines developed trouble in over 100
of the 9,949 polling booths. Over 200 technicians were rushed to
various places to set them right.
Around 10,200 electronic voting machines were used - a first during
civic election in Delhi. "We have taken note of the difficulties
faced by voters due to faulty EVMs," said Marwah.
In the contest were 2,575 candidates, including a very large number
of independents. A total of 272 members are to be elected - up from
the 134 members that existed five years ago.
Both the Congress and BJP were confident of winning, the latter more
so.
"Lots of restrictions by the election commission are one of the
major causes for the low turnout. Due to the restrictions, the
political parties could not create the right atmosphere," explained
Delhi BJP chief Harsh Vardhan.
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