Haryana polls peacefully, voter percentage dips 8%

Elections to the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana concluded peacefully with 63% voter turnout till 7 pm on Sunday, down 8% since 2014 percentage of over 71%.

Reports of some non-functional EVM’s and VVPAT machines came to fore in certain places resulting in delay in voting. Chief Minister M L Khattar took a train journey from Chandigarh to Karnal to cast his vote.

Top leaders including former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, his son and three-time MP Deepinder Hooda, Kumari Selja, Shruti Chaudhary, union minsters Krishan Pal Gujjar, Rao Inderjeet Singh, Dushyant Chautala and Abhay Chautala’s son and debutante Arjun Chautala are trying their luck in the elections.

The BJP in Haryana currently has 7 seats: the INLD has two and the Congress only one seat. No incident of violence was reported in Haryana today, Haryana DGP Manoj Yadava said this evening. The police on Sunday caught three vehicles bearing temporary registration number in Rohtak assembly constituency and confiscated 15 cartridges of .32 bore and other items.

As many as 90 strongrooms have been set up at 30 locations in Haryana to keep EVMs and VVPAT machines safe after the completion of the voting. Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) would remain deputed outside the strongrooms and CCTV would keep an eye inside the strongrooms.

Joint Chief Electoral Officer, Dr Inder Jeet said videography of the entire process of keeping the EVMs and VVPAT machines in the strong room would be carried out. The strongroom will be double-locked, and it would have three-tier security system, he added.