Voting progresses for Chandigarh’s municipal elections (Lead)
December 17th, 2011 - 6:09 pm ICT by IANS
Chandigarh, Dec 17 (IANS) Voting in the 26 wards of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation progressed smoothly Saturday with 35 percent polling till 3 p.m., election officials said here.
Polling began at 452 booths across the 114 square km union territory at 8 a.m. to decide the fate of 152 candidates.
The main contest is between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiromani Akali Dal (BJP-SAD) alliance. Others in the fray include the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), a few smaller parties and independents.
The 36-member municipal corporation house comprises 26 elected councillors, nine nominated councillors and the local MP. Union minister for parliamentary affairs Pawan Kumar Bansal is the Chandigarh MP.
“We will win a minimum of 20 seats. Congress has ensured development of the city in the last few years,” Chandigarh territorial Congress committee president B.B. Bahl said.
Chandigarh BJP president Sanjay Tandon said: “Our agenda is positive and serious. We want development of Chandigarh in a bigger way. We will win at least 20 seats.”
Tight security arrangements have been made by the police for the polling which ends at 5 p.m. Over 4,300 police personnel are manning the city and polling booths.
In the last Municipal Corporation elections in 2006, only some 45 percent of the city’s nearly 500,000 voters had cast their votes. Election officials are expecting higher voting this time.
The counting of votes will take place Monday.
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Tags: bahl, bahujan samaj party, bansal, bharatiya janata party, bjp president, committee president, congress committee, election officials, fate, independents, municipal elections, parliamentary affairs, polling booths, sad alliance, sanjay tandon, security arrangements, tight security, union minister, union territory, wards