Kingmaker Kangra sees 72.47% turnout

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, November 9

Polling in the politically most significant district of Kangra remained peaceful today. Barring small problems in a few polling  stations where EVMs  developed snags, polling went on smoothly.

As per data provided by the district authorities, overall polling in Kangra district remained at 72.47 per cent. Kangra has 15 constituencies.

In many areas, women outnumbered men in casting votes. Voting in the Nagrota Bagwan constituency, where the senior Congress leader and Minister for Food and Civil Supplies GS Bali was contesting, remained the highest in the district at 77.9 per cent. In Baijnath, it was 65.8 per cent, Shahpur 74.8 per cent, Dehra 70.74 per cent, Jaisinghpur, 63.91 per cent, Palampur 71.92 per cent, Fatehpur 72 per cent, Jwalamukhi 73.3 per cent, Jawali 73.6 per cent, Indora 72.2 per cent, Sulah 70.60 per cent, Dharamsala 74.56 per cent, Nurpur 76.9 per cent and Kangra 76.38.

A large number of voters gathered at the polling booth number 22 at Dari near Dharamsala. However, the EVM developed snag and polling could be started only at 9 am.

Col Karki (retd.), a resident of the area, said many women had gathered at the booth early in the morning. However, due to a snag in the EVM, they could not vote. There was moderate polling in the morning hours but it picked by in the afternoon.

The candidates, including Indu Goswami from Palampur, Kishan Kapoor from Dharamsala, Rakesh Pathania and Ajay Mahajan from Nurpur, cast their votes in the afternoon.

Candidates and their supporters kept on visiting the polling booths to assess the situation.

There was a faceoff between BJP and Congress workers in Dharamsala late last night. BJP workers caught a vehicle belonging to a contractor in Palampur and alleged that it was being used to distribute money among voters. BJP workers also clashed with the staff of a local TV channel. While BJP workers alleged that the staff were hand in glove with Congress candidate, the TV channel staff claimed that they were attacked and their camera was broken by them.

The TV channel staff have lodged a complaint with the police against the Shashwat Kapoor, son of BJP candidate from Dharamsala.

Polling continued till 7 pm at some stations where EVMs developed snags.