Malegaon/Mumbai/Chandigarh
Itanagar:
Barring stray incidence of violence
across the three states, the assembly elections in Maharashtra,
Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh ended by and large peacefully.
Maharashtra recorded 60% voter turnout whereas the voting
percentages in Haryana and Arunchal Pradesh were 68% and 72%
respectively.
60%
voting in Maharashtra
Naxalites targeted police and poll personnel to enforce the election
boycott and candidates were booked for inducing voters as polling
for the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly passed off, by and large,
peacefully. The state recorded an estimated 60 per cent voter
turnout.
Around 60 per cent of the 7.56 crore electorate cast their votes to
elect the 12th Assembly, election officials said.
In
Gadchiroli district, where 17 policemen were killed by Maoists on
October 8, Naxallites opened fire at polling personnel at Malewada
in Armori constituency, triggering a brief shootout which saw no
casualty, DGP for elections A N Roy told reporters.
However, Roy said, reinforcements had to be airdashed to the area
when the poll personnel escorted by a police contingent found their
way blocked on return journey with the Naxalites digging up the road
and placing logs on them.
The
poll personnel are still held up in Malewada.
Maoists also reportedly fired in the forest around Bonde village in
Korchi taluka, but polling proceeded uninterrupted.
Polling parties could not reach 22 booths -10 in Aheri taluka, 7 in
Armouri and 5 in Gadchiroli as Naxals obstructed their way by
placing felled trees and digging up roads.
Besides the political heavyweights
from Cong-NCP ruling alliance and opposition Shiv Sena-BJP,
prominent
Muslim candidates in Maharashtra whose fate are now sealed in EVMs
include Abu Asim Azmi, Basheer Moosa Patel, Arif Naseem Khan, Baba
Siddiquee all from Mumbai, Haji Anees Ahmed from Nagpur, Mufti
Ismael from Malegaon, Rasheed Tahir Momin from Bhiwandi and Abdul
Qadir from Aurangabad.
62.70% voting in Malegaon |
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Malegaon
(Central) assembly constituency recorded 62.70% voter
turnout as local Muslims came out in a large number to cast
their votes in total peace. No untoward incident recorded in
this hugely Muslim populated assembly constituency in North
Maharashtra. Elections in Malegaon (outer) assembly
constituency however is marred by violence. Workers
belonging to Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)
indulged in violence and arson in the constituency that recorded
55% voter turnout. |
72% votes cast in Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh recorded a high turnout of 72 per cent in the
election to 57 of the 60 seats in the state assembly on Tuesday.
Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu and two other Congress candidates were
elected unopposed from the three seats in Tawang district.
"Around 72 per cent turnout was recorded, but it may go up," Chief
Electoral Officer Yeshi Tsering said.
The
percentage in the 2004 assembly elections was 67.83.
There were reports of disturbances and damage to EVMs from 23
polling stations in nine constituencies, he said.
Prominent candidates whose fate are now sealed in EVMs are former
chief minister Gegong Apang, who was elected seven times
consecutively from Tuting-Vinkiong; Kameng Dolo, who is trying his
luck for the eighth time from Chayangtajo; former Union minister
Omak Apang from Pasighat West and debutant Pomaya Mithi, wife of
Rajya Sabha MP and former chief minister Mukut Mithi from Roing. All
of them are from Congress.
The
election agent of Trinamool Congress candidate Nani Ribia objected
to a poster in the booth. Ribia arrived soon after and a scuffle
took place between two groups which led to damage of an EVM, the
sources said.
There were 151 candidates in the fray including 57 of the ruling
Congress, 36 of the NCP, 26 of Trinamool Congress, and 18 of BJP.
There are also 11 candidates from the Peoples Party of Arunachal, a
regional party and three independents.
68% polling recorded in Haryana
Amid
stray violence that left a polling agent dead and some 20 people
injured, an estimated 68 per cent voters exercised their franchise
for the Haryana Assembly election under tight security on Tuesday.
A
polling agent was killed in a clash in Gulha assembly constituency
as skirmishes between rival political groups left around 20 injured
elsewhere in the state, police said.
An
estimated 68 per cent of 1.31 electorate cast votes for the 90-seat
House sealing the fate of 1,222 candidates, including 67 women, in
Electronic Voting Machines.
The
poll percentage might rise as voter turnout from some places was
still awaited, a state Election Office spokesman said.
The
counting will take place on October 22 when the fate of several
political heavyweights including Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh
Hooda, INLD supremo Om Parkash Chautala, INLD Secretary General Ajay
Chautala and Haryana Janhit Congress chief Kuldeep Bishnoi will be
known.
48-year-old Jyoti Ram, the polling agent, was killed when a clash
erupted between supporters of Congress nominee Dillu Ram and
Independent candidate Kulwant Bazigar in Guna segment in Kaithal
district.
Ram
was Bazigar's poll agent, police said adding two persons were
injured in a firing incident at Ferozepur Jhirka in Mewat district.
In
Jalalpur village in Panipat district, a clash between activists of
Haryana Janhit Congress (BL) and the Congress left 11 injured, one
of them seriously.
DSP
Jagbir Singh Dhull was hit by a stone near Hindu Kanya Mahavidalaya
in Jind district while one person was hurt in a clash in Ambala city
between supporters of an Independent candidate and a SAD nominee.
Skirmishes also took place at Sirsa, Ambala, Kaithal, Yamuna Nagar,
Karnal and other places leaving some injured.
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