45 percent turnout in Chandigarh municipal poll (Second Lead)
December 17th, 2011 - 10:33 pm ICT by IANS
Chandigarh, Dec 17 (IANS) Voting in the 26 wards of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation ended smoothly Saturday with nearly 45 percent polling, election officials said here.
The polling percentage was almost the same as in the last election in 2006, the officials said.
“The voting was higher in polling stations in colonies and rural areas of the UT (union territory),” an election official said.
Polling began at 452 booths across the 114 square km union territory at 8 a.m. to decide the fate of 152 candidates. There are nearly 500,000 voters in the city.
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 Parliamentary Affairs Minister 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 were made by the police for the polling. Over 4,300 police personnel manned the city and polling booths.
The counting of votes will take place Monday.
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Tags: affairs minister, bahl, bahujan samaj party, bansal, bharatiya janata party, bjp president, committee president, congress committee, election official, election officials, last election, parliamentary affairs, pawan kumar, polling booths, polling stations, sad alliance, sanjay tandon, security arrangements, tight security, union territory