Thanesar sees 50% voter turnout, Ismailabad 65%

• Thanesar Municipal Council chairperson:Mafee Devi (BJP)Rajbala (BSP)Rattan Kaur (Independent)Sunita Kumari (Congress)Rukmani Balmiki (AAP)

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• Ismailabad Municipal Committee president:Megha Bansal (BJP)Deepshika (Independent) Ekta (Independent) Nisha Rani (Independent)Harjeet Gotra (Independent)

  In fray

Polling for the elections of chairperson and councillors of the Thanesar Municipal Council and the byelection for the post of president of Ismailabad Municipal Committee were held peacefully in Kurukshetra on Sunday.

In Thanesar, over 1.37 lakh voters were eligible to exercise their franchise at 108 booths, and over 50 per cent voter turnout was reported.

In Ismailabad, 10,540 people were eligible to cast their votes in 13 polling booths, and around 65 per cent polling was reported.

Tight security arrangements were made to thwart any untoward incident.

Women, first-time voters and the elderly were enthusiastic about casting their votes. Sumitra Devi (87) and Chandi Devi (107) were among those who exercised their franchise on Sunday.

Mona Singh, a young voter, said, “A good team of councillors and chairperson in the municipal council can play a huge role in the development of the city. Thanesar’s sanitation, traffic, stray cattle and the condition of roads need special attention. We are hopeful that the new team will focus on these issues on priority and provide much-needed relief to residents.”

Pramod Kumar, another voter, said “Kurukshetra is being developed as a major tourist destination, but it lacks cleanliness and roads of that standard. We expect from the new house of the municipal council and the government to take some serious steps in this regard.”

To ensure a smooth election, general observer Pardeep Kumar and police observer Bharti Dabas visited sensitive and hyper-sensitive booths.

Thanesar MLA Ashok Arora, after casting his vote, said, “During the Assembly elections and, now, during the municipal council elections, voters were pressurised by the BJP to obtain votes, which is not a good thing for democracy. Candidates should approach the voters, and let the voters decided.”

Meanwhile, BJP leader and former Thanesar MLA Subhash Sudha, said, “The people of Thanesar have decided to elect a BJP chairperson and councillors in all the wards. I am confident that the party candidates will win big. The party has fielded young leaders in the elections. The youngsters should come forward to exercise their franchise. The youngsters will further strengthen the foundation of the country and the government will ensure development at a rapid pace.”