Around 67.44 percent polling in Solan district
BARRING five six reported incidents of minor fault in electronic voting machines, the polling completely went peacefully in all the five assembly segments of Solan district, today.
The polling which started in the morning, picked up gradually as the day advanced. Unlike previous elections, the polling did not witness any incidents of clash between supporters of candidates of various political parties in Solan and Sirmour district, except minor incident of developing of technical fault in EVM at Jabli and Solan and reported minor arguments at some places in Doon and Nalagarh assembly segments. Polling was registered at 58.95 percent till 3 pm in all five constituencies of Solan district. The highest polling was registered at 63.72 % percent in the Kasauli assembly segment. A red carpet welcome was also accorded at all the model polling stations, established at different places, to handicapped, old age, and first-time voters by brass band parties. The polling was registered at 58.15 in the Solan constituency, 63.72 in the Kasauli constituency, 61.10 % in Doon, 55.58 in Arki, and 57.92 % in the Nalagarh assembly segment
Interestingly, 96-year-old Puran Dutt Awasthy exercised his franchise for the first at the Kandhar polling station in the Arki assembly segment. Similarly, 92-year-old Dwarki Devi cast her vote at Bohali polling station in Kasauli constituency. 87 years Sita Devi also cast her vote at the polling station Patta–Mehlog in the Doon assembly segment.
According to reports reaching here, around 67.44 percent of polling was registered in the district while the highest polling was reported in the Kasauli constituency, till 5 pm. In Arki, the polling was registered at 64.23 percent, in Doon, 69.81 percent, Nalagarh at 67.44 percent and in Solan, it was 65.91 and 72.58 percent in the Kasauli assembly segment of Shimla parliamentary constituency. Percent. The polling across the district went on a brisk note in the afternoon when female voters turned out in large numbers after completing their household chores. Hordes of women along with their kids were seen queued up outside their respective polling stations at several places, especially in Nalagarh, Doon, Kasauli, Solan, and Arki assembly segments of the district.
This time, the election commission had again established a separate polling booth for leprosy patients at Zonal Hospital Lohanji in the Kasauli constituency. Here, all five leprosy patient cast their votes. Voters at some places complained about the alleged deletion of their names from voter lists, however, later after verification on the basis of voter cards, they were allowed to participate in the electoral process.
“The polling process did not witness any violence, or disturbance across the district,” said Deputy Commissioner Manmohan Sharma.
He said that reports of minor faults in voting machines at five six places were arrived at headquarter while, the entire electoral process passed peacefully in all five assembly segments of the district.