Chandigarh, 2 March — Polling for Haryana’s civic body elections concluded on Sunday with 46% of the over 51 lakh eligible voters casting their ballots, officials said. Voting remained peaceful throughout the day.
The elections were held to elect mayors and ward members in seven municipal corporations—Gurugram, Manesar, Faridabad, Hisar, Rohtak, Karnal, and Yamunanagar. Bypolls were also conducted for the mayoral posts in Ambala and Sonipat. Additionally, voters in four municipal councils—Ambala Sadar, Pataudi Jatoli Mandi, Thanesar, and Sirsa—elected presidents and ward members, while a bypoll was held for the Sohna Municipal Council president. Elections for presidents and ward members in 21 municipal committees, including bypolls in Assandh (Karnal) and Ismailabad (Kurukshetra), also took place.
Gurugram saw a turnout of over 40%, with Farukh Nagar recording 77%. Manesar had 65% voter participation, while Sohna lagged at 35.3%. Sonipat reported one of the lowest turnouts at 29%, though Kharkhoda in the district saw over 62% polling. Rohtak registered 53%.
In Ambala district, polling stood at 32% in Ambala, 52.3% in Ambala Sadar, and 67.3% in Barara. Faridabad recorded a turnout of around 40%. Fatehabad’s Jakhal Mandi saw the highest turnout at 85.2%, while Jind district’s Julana and Safidon recorded 70.9% and 81.5%, respectively. Hisar’s Narnaund recorded 82.7%, while the city itself saw 52.4%. Taoru in Nuh district reported 78% voting.
Polling in Karnal district varied, with Assandh at 33.2%, Karnal at 46.2%, Indri at 72.7%, Nilokheri at 67.4%, and Taraori at 76.4%.
A technical issue delayed polling by an hour at a booth in Gurugram Municipal Corporation’s ward number 5, sources said.
Haryana State Election Commissioner Dhanpat Singh had earlier stated that elaborate security and logistical measures were in place to ensure free and fair elections. He said 39 candidates contested the mayoral elections in nine municipal corporations, while 27 were in the fray for presidents’ posts in five municipal councils. In the 23 municipal committees, 151 candidates contested for presidents’ positions.
Several candidates were elected unopposed, including those in ward number 36 of Faridabad, ward number 22 of Gurugram, wards eight and 11 of Karnal, and ward number nine of Yamunanagar. Similar results were recorded in ward number 24 of Ambala Sadar and wards seven and 32 of Thanesar Municipal Council. Additionally, 17 ward members in various municipal committees won unopposed.
Polling for the Panipat Municipal Corporation is scheduled for March 9, while the votes will be counted on March 12.
