Haryana on Wednesday created history clocking an all-time high polling of about 76%, surpassing the previous best of 72.65% in 1967 in the high-stakes battle among top contenders Congress, BJP and INLD amid stray incidents of violence in many parts of the state. "Haryana registered an all-time highest poll percentage in its history. The final percentage may change once all the figures are compiled," Haryana Chief Electoral Officer Shrikant Walgad said.
He said polling remained by and large peaceful barring sporadic incidents that left 32 persons, including 10 policemen, injured. Over 1.63 crore voters including over 87 lakh women were eligible to cast their vote in today's polls for 90 Assembly seats in the state. At the close of polling at 6 PM, there were queues of voters inside many polling stations. Heavy polling was witnessed at places including Fatehabad, Hisar, Jind, Kurukshetra, Mewat, Rohtak, Sirsa and Yamunanagar, Kaithal while in Faridabad, Gurgaon and Panchkula districts, the polling remained moderate.
Polling was also heavy in constituencies from where top guns including Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda (Cong), Haryana Ministers Randeep Singh Surjewala and Kiran Choudhary, INLD's Abhay Chautala and Dushyant Chautala and HJC's Kuldeep Bishnoi are in fray. In 2009 polls, turnout of 72.37% was recorded. Earlier, in 1967, the highest polling of 72.65% took place.
Incidents of violence were reported from various districts including Hisar, Mewat, Sirsa and Jind.
In Hisar district's Barwala, 30 persons, including 10 policemen, were injured and seven motorcycles set on fire by a mob following a clash between polling agents of two rival parties, during which stones were pelted. Police said an argument broke out between two polling agents of rival parties in village Niyana after which the situation turned tense. A case had been registered in this connection, they said.
There were reports of clash taking place between INLD supporters and some rival groups in Punhana in Mewat district.
Some people received minor injuries in the incident, SP of Mewat, S S Bhoria said. Asked to comment on reports that a one-month-old baby died as she fell off from her mother's lap when there was commotion after the incident in which stones were also pelted between supporters of two groups, Bhoria said the baby was ill. Walgad said the reported death of a child in district Mewat was not poll related.
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