Amid stray violence that left a polling agent dead and 20 people injured, an estimated 68% voters exercised their franchise for the Haryana Assembly election.
Amid stray violence that left a polling agent dead and 20 people injured, an estimated 68% voters exercised their franchise for the Haryana Assembly election under tight security today.
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% 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, Indian National Lok Dal (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 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 Shiromani Alkali Dal (SAD) nominee.
Skirmishes also took place at Sirsa, Ambala, Kaithal, Yamuna Nagar, Karnal and other places leaving some injured.
Alleging booth-capturing by the Congress at some places, the Opposition INLD in a complaint to the EC said one of their activists was abducted from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi constituency in Rohtak district from where Hooda is seeking re-election.
Among the early voters was the chief minister who cast his vote in his native Sanghi village in Rohtak district.
105-year-old Durga Devi also exercised her franchise in Sanghi.
The SAD, led by Punjab's deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, put up candidates in two seats in the state which witnessed multi-cornered contests in all constituencies.
Stakes were high for the Congress in the election after its spectacular performance in the recent Lok Sabha polls when it romped home in nine out of 10 seats in the state.
Rania constituency in Sirsa district saw 80% voting, the highest in the state, while Ballabgarh in Faridabad district registered the lowest turnout of 50%.
In 2005 assembly election, the turnout was 71.96%.
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