Panipat Municipal Elections: 52.2% Voter Turnout Across 365 Booths

The residents of Panipat came out to vote for their new mayor and ward councillors on Sunday in mostly peaceful municipal elections. Despite the warm weather, citizens from all walks of life made their way to 365 polling booths across the city to cast their votes for the 26 ward positions and the coveted mayoral seat.

Election officials reported that the voting process proceeded smoothly overall, with a respectable turnout of 52.2%. "The polling remained largely incident-free, with only a couple of minor disturbances that were quickly handled by our security personnel," said a senior election official.

Minor Disturbances Reported

A few isolated incidents did occur during the voting day. At a polling booth near GT Road at Tehsil Camp, there was a commotion when the son of a Jind MLA attempted to enter the polling station. In another incident in Ward 24, a young man was caught trying to cast a fraudulent vote at JK School booth. 

Also in Ward 24, an independent candidate accused BJP supporters of casting fake votes at the Canal Camp Government School polling center. 

 Technical Issues Briefly Disrupt Voting

Early morning voters in Ward 21 Saundhapur faced some frustration when an EVM displaying an independent candidate's symbol malfunctioned. This led to a small protest at the polling station, but election officials arrived at the scene and restored normal voting operations.

Second Phase of Civic Elections 

This election follows the first phase of municipal voting that took place on March 2 for 40 other civic bodies across Haryana. The earlier phase was also largely peaceful except for a clash between BJP and Congress supporters in Rohtak. Some districts had reported EVM malfunctions and instances of fraudulent voting. 

"The counting of votes will take place on March 12, and results for all 26 wards and the mayor position will be announced the same day," confirmed the District Election Officer. "Security arrangements at counting centers have been strengthened to ensure the process continues without any issues."