Voting for seven municipalities and more than 500 Panchayati Raj representatives in Haryana ended on Sunday amidst low voter turnout at 47 per cent, a number which gets overshadowed due to the various controversies, including bribery and agitations, that have been going around recently. Though voting ended at 6 pm, the Election Commission allowed those who were standing in queues to cast their votes till late hours.
There were considerable variations in voter turnout figures throughout the state, while it was 69 per cent in Uklana, Sonipat witnessed only 40.2 per cent turnouts.
However, it was the reports of misconduct that dominated the day. In Rewari, tension flared at a Government Senior Secondary School when a young man was intercepted while allegedly attempting to cast a fraudulent vote. Following an outcry from rival candidates, the police took the individual into custody. During initial questioning, the suspect reportedly claimed he had been instructed by a local contact to vote illegally in favour of the BJP. Authorities have since launched an investigation to track down the person behind the alleged instruction.
It is not just the individual instances of corruption that have been accused in the case of malpractice. The Congress candidate for chairperson, Kumari Raj, in Dharuhera, has lambasted the ruling party, saying that workers of the BJP are giving money to manipulate the voters. According to her, the local government is also helping the state government to fix the results.
The friction continued in Ambala, where Congress supporters gathered outside a polling station in Ward 8 to protest against what they described as blatant rule-breaking. They claimed a woman with suspicious credentials had tried to vote before fleeing the scene, and further alleged that BJP workers were being allowed to bring mobile phones into booths, a direct breach of Election Commission protocols.
Beyond the political sparring, the day was also marked by complaints regarding the treatment of the vulnerable. In Uklana, the family of an 80-year-old voter expressed their outrage over a total lack of basic accessibility. A relative accused security staff of being dismissive and claimed that, in the absence of any wheelchair facilities, the family were told they would have to carry the elderly woman into the station themselves.
As the dust settles, the results for the Panchayat by-elections are anticipated later tonight. However, the fate of the municipal councils will remain sealed until May 13, when the formal counting of votes is scheduled to take place. For now, the EVMs have been secured under heavy police guard, leaving a trail of administrative and political questions in their wake.
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