64% turnout in Manesar civic polls

The final turnout of voters for the Municipal Corporation of Manesar (MCM) elections on Sunday stood at65.9% at 8.30pm, according to data shared by the district administration, almost 20% more than neighbouring Gurugram. The results will be declared on March 12.

According to data shared by the district administration at 6pm, 61,002 of the total 97,073 registered voters in Manesar’s 20 wards exercised their franchise. Most of the turnout was from rural areas and voters in urban condominium complexes did not vote in large numbers, local leaders and party candidates said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Sunder Lal Yadav, and independents Dr Indrajit Yadav and Dr Vijay Singh, are contesting for the post of mayor in Manesar. The BJP has given tickets to 20 candidates in Manesar while the Congress is contesting without the party mandate.

MCM is going for local polls for the first time since its formation in 2020.

Polling in both Manesar and Gurugram was slow throughout, particularly in urban condominium complexes, but picked up later in the day, especially in village areas where polling booths had long queues. Local leaders and party candidates said urban voters — despite repeated appeals — did not to vote in large numbers.

Ashok Malik, president of united association of New Gurugram, an umbrella organisation of resident welfare associations, and a resident of New Town Heights in Sector 86, said the turnout in their housing society was 49.2% with 669 out of the 1,351 voters cast their votes.

“The people have voted for better roads and improved sewage system and sanitation. We are paying property tax to MCM but are not getting any facilities inside our condominiums. The villages under MCM are getting all facilities but don’t pay property tax. This discrimination should end and either we should be given a waiver in property tax or services should be extended to our complexes as well,” he said.

Jitender Kumar, a resident of Wazirpur, said he wanted MCM to improve the infrastructure and facilities in the area. “We want better facilities in health and education and also better roads,” he said.

Some residents said that their names had been shifted to another booth.

Parveen Malik, an independent from ward number four in Manesar and also a resident of Sare Homes, said that while a number of residents faced problems due to discrepancy in the rolls, he had ensured that several glitches were resolved before the election. “Fewer people in condominiums voted as compared to villages but the turnout was almost 50% in our society and it was satisfactory,” he said.

In Naurangpur, Hayatpur, Wazirpur, Rampura, and other adjoining villages, voters queued up in large numbers at polling booths. Dr Vijay Singh, independent mayor candidate for Manesar who cast his vote in Wazirpur, said that issues of development and public amenities were the most important for the people. “I hope the best candidate wins the election irrespective of party lines,” he said.

The turnout in the municipal council election of neighbouring Pataudi was 63.3% (27,243 voters out of 43,029 voted). The turnout in Sohna was 29.9% (14,990 votes cast out of 50,152). Farrukhnagar had a high turnout of 72% (10,546 out of 14,645 voters cast their votes).

According to the state election commission, Haryana’s overall turnout was 46.4.%, while the overall turnout in Gurugram district was 45 3 percent.