Panipat records 52.2% voter turnout, higher than neighbouring districts
Polling held for mayoral post and 26 councillors of civic body
Panipat, Updated At : 08:43 AM Mar 10, 2025 IST
Women voters in long queues at a polling booth in Panipat on Sunday. Photo: Sukhjinder Saroha
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Panipat witnessed around 52.2 per cent voter turnout on Sunday which was higher in comparison to the neighbouring districts where the polling was held on March 2.
The polling for the mayoral candidate and 26 councillors of the Panipat Municipal Corporation (MC) began on a slow note on Sunday morning but gained pace with time.
However, long queues of voters were seen at some polling booths in the city since morning. As per the data available, the Sonepat byelection for the mayoral post recorded the lowest voter turnout with only 28.8 per cent on March 2. Similarly, Karnal recorded a total 48.8 per cent voting, Faridabad recorded 40.09 per cent voter turnout and Gurugram recorded 41.9 per cent voter turnout on March 2.
Taking lessons from the low voter turnout in the MC polls held on March 2, not only the ruling party leaders but the administration put in their best to improve the voting percentage in Panipat.
Even the ruling party senior leaders had taken the command in their hands to improve the voting percentage. Union Minister and former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar held a meeting with the party workers and asked them to bring the voters from their houses on the polling day.
Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini also held a ‘Panna Pramukh Sammelan’ here on March 6 and laid emphasis on improving the voting percentage.
Voting percentage less compared to previous polls
However, the voters’ turnout recorded around 52.2 per cent, which is less in comparison to the previous MC elections. The Panipat had witnessed a total 62 per cent voter turnout in December 2018 while it had recorded 69.2 per cent in the first MC elections in 2013.
Out of a total 4,11,038 voters, a total 2.14 lakh voters exercised their franchise on Sunday to elect the Mayor and councillors of all 26 wards at 365 polling booths.
Technical snag in EVMs
The polling was affected in the city due to technical snag in EVMs at several polling booths here on Sunday. As per the available information, a total 60 EVMs were changed due to technical glitch during the polling. The polling was halted at a booth in Ward 21 for nearly one hour. DC Virender Kumar Dahiya along with SP Lokender SIngh visited the booth and pacified the people.
Problems due to old voter list
The voters at several polling booths had to face problems due to the new delimitation and the new voter list. The voters had to face a problem as the votes were polled as per the new list but outside the polling booths the list was old. Due to which voters’ names were mismatched and they had to face problems.
District Election Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner Virender Kumar Dahiya said that the polling was completed in a peaceful manner in the city. No law and order problem occurred in the city during the polling, he said.
There were some issues that occurred due to technical snag in the EVMs at several booths, but the polling was continued after changing the EVMs, DC Dahiya asserted.
The polling percentage is recorded higher in Panipat in comparison to other districts in the MC elections, the Deputy Commissioner said.
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